NASA TV to Air Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus Departure from Space Station

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo craft approaches the International Space Station delivering about 7,500 pounds of research and supplies to the Expedition 62 crew. NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan would command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and capture Cygnus after a two-and-half-day trip that began with a launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Credits: NASA

Editor's Note: This advisory was updated May 7 to reflect that Cygnus’ deorbit burn is now scheduled to occur Friday, May 29, or Saturday, May 30 .

Nearly three months after delivering several tons of supplies and scientific experiments to the International Space Station, Northrop Grumman’s unpiloted Cygnus cargo craft is scheduled to depart the International Space Station on Monday, May 11.

Live coverage of the spacecraft’s release will air on NASA Television and the agency’s websitebeginning at 11:45 a.m. EDT, with release scheduled for noon.

Dubbed the “SS Robert H. Lawrence,” Cygnus arrived at the station Feb. 18 with supplies and science experiments following its launch on Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.

Flight controllers on the ground will send commands to robotically detach Cygnus from the Earth-facing port of the Unity module, maneuver it into place, and release it from the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Station commanderChristopher Cassidy of NASA will monitor Cygnus’ systems as it moves away from the orbiting laboratory.

Within 24 hours of its release, Cygnus will begin its secondary mission, hosting the Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment – IV (Saffire-IV), which provides an environment to safely study fire in microgravity. It also will deploy a series of payloads. Northrop Grumman flight controllers in Dulles, Virginia, will initiate Cygnus’ deorbit to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere Friday, May 29, or Saturday, May 30.