Summary
A Falcon 9 launched a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. The spacecraft suffered problems that have delayed maneuvers needed to reach the station. The liftoff, delayed a day because of poor weather, dodged the effects of Tropical Storm Debby.
The Cygnus is carrying 3,857 kilograms of cargo, including 1,560 kilograms of vehicle hardware. The cargo includes 1,220 kilograms of science investigations and 1,021 kilograms of crew supplies. The science payloads include experiments studying how spaceflight affects DNA.
The launch was the second of three Falcon 9 missions that Northrop Grumman procured for Cygnus launches. Northrop is working with Firefly Aerospace on a new version of its Antares rocket, the Antares 330. That version replaces the Ukrainian-built first stage and Russian engines with a stage developed by Firefly.
