Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft launched at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019. New Rocket Lab launch facility visible at center. Cygnus is loaded with 8,200 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
The breakfast time blastoff of the Antares Cygnus NG-12 mission on Northrop Grumman’s 12th commercial resupply mission to the space station from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport occurred right on time at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility seaside launch pad 0A at 9:59 a.m. EDT Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019 from launch pad 0A.
Enjoy our expanded eyewitness gallery of Space UpClose still and video imagery from the media site and remote cameras set up ringing pad 0A. Check back as the gallery grows.
Between 2 lightning rods – Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft lift off at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019. View looking to pair of RD-181 engines powering first stage in upgraded Antares 230+ configuration. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
Cygnus was jam packed with some 8200 pounds (3705 kg) of research investigations, vehicle hardware and supplies for the six person multinational crew of Expedition 61.
The Cygnus spacecraft, dubbed the SS Alan Bean, is named after the late Apollo 12 moonwalker and Skylab astronaut who died on May 26, 2018, at the age of 86.
Liftoff of Northrop Grumman Antares and Cygnus NG-12 cargo craft from NASA Wallops, VA, on Nov. 2, 2019. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
The SS Alan Bean NG-12 resupply ship is jam packed with 4 tons of precious NASA science and hardware including a space cookie oven, a crew of micetonauts, NRO cubesats, a space radiation vest and 29 newly developed EVA tools for spacewalking astronauts needed to extend the life of the critical AMS dark matter experiment attached to the orbiting outposts truss.
Commercial Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft blast off at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019 – as seen from media viewing site. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.comCommercial Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft thunder aloft at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019 – as seen from media viewing site. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
Watch my launch video here:
Video Caption: North and South – Watch and listen to the power of Antares NG-12 blastoff looking north and south at the NASA Wallops launch pad from 180 degrees apart. Launch of Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying Cygnus NG-12 cargo freighter roars to life on November 2, 2019 from Pad-0A on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on 12th resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station – as seen in these video cameras stationed north and south at pad. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
Up Close view of Northrop Grumman Antares rocket liftoff focused on RD-181 engines powering first stage in upgraded Antares 230+ configuration. Notice the cyrillic lettering on the Russian made engines from Energomash which flew at full throttle throughout for Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft lift off at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
Commercial Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft thunder aloft on long vapor trail at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019 – as seen from media viewing site. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
Watch my BBC World TV News post launch interview on Nov. 2, 2019 here:
This was the first cargo mission flown under Northrop Grumman’s CRS-2 contract with NASA starting this fall of 2019. Under Northrop Grumman’s Commercial Resupply Services 1 contract, the company flew 11 missions to the ISS.
Under the CRS-2 contract Northrop Grumman will fly at least 6 Cygnus missions through 2024.
Liftoff of Northrop Grumman Antares and Cygnus NG-12 cargo craft from NASA Wallops, VA, on Nov. 2, 2019. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
The next launch of NG-13 is slated for February 2020.
Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Ken’s upcoming outreach events:
Nov 10: 7 PM, Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL. “SpaceX Starlink Launch Nov 11.” Free in hotel lobby
Nov 23, 1 PM, Titusville, FL: “50th Anniversary Apollo 12 and NASA’s Human Return to the Moon with Project Artemis” at American Space Museum, Titusville, FL. Lecture free. Open to the public.
Website: www.spacewalkoffame.org
Commercial Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft thunder aloft at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019 – as seen from media viewing site. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.comCommercial Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft thunder aloft on long vapor trail at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019 – as seen from media viewing site. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.comLiftoff of Northrop Grumman Antares and Cygnus NG-12 cargo craft from NASA Wallops, VA, on Nov. 2, 2019. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft onboard, launches at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019. Cygnus is loaded with 8,200 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.comLiftoff of Northrop Grumman Antares and Cygnus NG-12 cargo craft from NASA Wallops, VA, on Nov. 2, 2019. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.comNorthrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft launched at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019. New Rocket Lab launch facility visible at center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.comNorthrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft launched at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019. New Rocket Lab launch facility visible at center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.comLiftoff of Northrop Grumman Antares and Cygnus NG-12 cargo craft from NASA Wallops, VA, on Nov. 2, 2019. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.comBetween 2 lightning rods – Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus NG-12 resupply spacecraft lift off at 9:59 a.m. EDT from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Nov. 2, 2019. View looking to pair of RD-181 engines powering first stage in upgraded Antares 230+ configuration. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is seen horizontal on Pad-0A November 1, 2019 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 12th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will launch around 8,200 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew Nov. 2, 2019. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news. Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics. Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events.
For SpaceUpClose & RocketSTEM TITUSVILLE, FL – Watch my complete live LiveNOW from FOX video interview with host Austin Westfall about NASA’s decision on Saturday Aug. 24 to bring NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore & Suni Williams home from ISS on a SpaceX Crew Dragon in Feb 2025 for safety reasons – instead of the Boeing Starliner they originally launched on
For SpaceUpClose & RocketSTEM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Watch my complete live LiveNOW from FOX video interview with host Andy Mac about the Boeing Starliner CFT crew test flight mission on 26 June 2024. Note: The title from Fox is incorrect as I immediately told them from the start the astronauts are NOT stuck – with my first words!
