SpaceX seems to be cornering most of the media attention these days regarding keeping the the International Space Station (ISS) going with supplies and astronauts. However, they are not the only game in town.
Northrup Grumman also sends cargo capsules to the ISS, the latest dubbed Cygnus XL. With the background of an exceptionally clear blue sky on Sunday September 14 at 6:11 pm, they launched their most recent mission, NG-23, and named after the late astronaut William McCool, who lost his life on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003.
True, NG-23 was propelled into space by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, but only while Northrup Grumman is developing a new rocket of its own. Northrop Grumman’s Antares 230 rocket was retired in 2023 due to supply chain disruptions stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A successor, the Antares 300 is under development with no Russian or Ukrainian components.
There’s a lot of projects waiting to deliver materials to the ISS, more than SpaceX can apparently handle by itself. There is a long line of corporate and educational organizations who wish to send investigations requiring the microgravity offered on the ISS. CASIS, an organization that receives, evaluates, and prioritizes many of these requests has at least 150 such projects waiting in line for a ride to the ISS.
on to the International Space Station. Photo credit: Northrup Grumman.Does the ISS have the capacity to meet the demand for more microgravity work? The new design of the NG capsules is designed to expand the capacity of the ISS. It is equipped with “Extend the Lab” capabilities, allowing experiments to be conducted within the spacecraft by delivering power to the experiments, enabling science to take place without unloading them. Cygnus is also capable of performing ISS reboots if requested by NASA. After unberthing, but before its controlled destructive reentry, the spacecraft will conduct a secondary mission to test the PALOMINO electrospray thruster subsystem developed by Revolution Space.
We are frequently asked what happens when the ISS goes out of operation in about the year 2030. How will the demand for microgravity be met? At least three commercial companies are reportedly working on smaller versions of the space station that would offer living accommodations and work space to accommodate the demand for microgravity environments. There is still uncertainty whether any or all will be up and running by the time the ISS is decommissioned and heads for a watery grave in the South Pacific.
