A private cargo spacecraft left the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday morning (July 12), and its movements can be watched live in orbit.
Northrop Grumman Cygnus The spacecraft is scheduled to detach from the ISS at 7 a.m. EDT (11 a.m. GMT) on Friday, ending its 5.5-month orbital stay.
You can watch it live, courtesy of NASA, on Space.com, beginning at 6:30 a.m. EDT (10:30 a.m. GMT).
The Cygnus spacecraft, named SS Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson after a NASA astronaut who died in a plane crash in 2001, was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket. Falcon 9 It launched on January 30. The launch marked the start of the NG-20 mission, named for the 20th flight of NASA’s Cygnus rocket to the ISS.
Cargo ship Arrival at the ISS Two days later, Cygnus delivered more than 8,200 pounds (3,720 kilograms) of supplies and science equipment to the orbital lab, and is set to carry some science equipment on its descent, but it won’t make it to Earth intact.
Related: Facts about the Northrop Grumman Cargo Ship Cygnus
“After separation, Kentucky Reentry Probe Experiment 2 (Crepe-2Tucked inside the Cygnus spacecraft, the probe will take measurements to demonstrate the thermal protection system that will protect the spacecraft and its contents during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, NASA officials said. Preview of Friday’s ISS departure.
“Filled with debris packed by the space station’s crew, Cygnus will be ordered to deorbit on Saturday, July 13, preparing the spacecraft for a destructive re-entry that will allow it to burn up safely. Earth’s atmosphere” they added.
Cygnus is currently owned by SpaceX Dragon Capsule and Russian progress Spaceship.
Like Cygnus, Progress is designed to burn up in the atmosphere at the end of its orbital mission, but Dragon is reusable and can splash down on the ocean with the help of a parachute to return it safely to Earth.
