In an NG-20 pre-launch media teleconference on January, 26, 2024, Bill Gerstenmaier, SpaceX VP Build and Flight Reliability, revealed that a new access door had been added to the fairing that protects the Cygnus spacecraft atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But Why?
New Door Will Accommodate Loading of a Mystery Cargo
Gerstenmaier said “We’re going to do a late-load activity into the Cygnus vehicle [so] we modified the fairing that’s the covering that goes on the outside of the Falcon rocket to include a 5-foot by 4-foot wide access door. It essentially allows us to enter into the fairing area and put late-load cargo in …some of [the payload’s components] are going to be delivered in this late-load cargo that goes through this new hatch we put in place. It’s more than just a hatch, actually, we have an environmentally controlled area so we don’t bring any kind of debris or contamination in.”
The addition of a door to the Falcon 9 payload fairing was no simple task. In a tweet by Astronaut Mike Massimo, Massimo said “To accommodate the requirement for late load capability for Cygnus SpaceX had to modify the fairing to add a door and also add essentially a clean room to avoid introducing contamination in the fairing area.”
But what is this “last minute cargo”?
Surprise For The Astronauts
The identity of the cargo requiring “last minute” addition to the cargo hold was not exactly revealed, though there had been a reference to a surprise for the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Media was asked not to tell the astronauts ahead of time, so this reporter will not reveal what further he knows.
SpaceX and NASA explained that the launch is now scheduled one day later than originally planned, now at 12:07 pm on Tuesday January 30. It will rendezvous with the ISS on February 1.
Weather Looks Good For Launch
Launch weather officer Arlena Moses described a cold front moving into the area during the next couple of days, bringing favorable weather behind it in time for launch day, with only a 5% chance of violation.
SS. Patricia Hilliard Robertson
Consistent with Northrup Grumman and Cygnus practice, the spacecraft is named for a prominent space person, this time for Dr. Patty Robertson, a member of the 1998 astronaut class. A medical doctor and space medicine fellow, Robertson was also a multi-engine rated flight instructor and avid aerobatic pilot with more than 1,500 hours of flight time. In May 2001, two years after she had been chosen to become a NASA astronaut and completed her basic training, Robertson tragically lost her life from injuries sustained in a private plane crash. She was expected to be assigned to her own flight to the space station the following year.
The S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson will deliver new science investigations, food, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the International Space Station. The research includes the first surgical robot on the space station, an inexpensive orbit re-entry platform that collects thermal protection systems data, and an engineered construct that maintains healthy cartilage in a lower gravity environment. Other studies launching include MSTIC, an autonomous semiconductor manufacturing platform, and the European Space Agency’s new Metal 3D printer. This and other research headed to the International Space Station will not only prepare humans for future exploration missions but also benefit humanity back on Earth.
