In photos: See the Antares rocket's Cygnus NG-13 cargo ship launch to space station
On Feb. 15, 2020, a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket launched into space carrying the Cygnus NG-13 cargo ship, called the S.S. Robert H. Lawrence, to the International Space Station.
The mission lifted off from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia to deliver more than deliver more than 7,500 lbs. (3,400 kilograms) of science experiments, supplies and other vital gear to the station's Expedition 62 crew.
See how Northrop Grumman launched the mission (as well as prepared for the flight) in this photo gallery here. Just click the arrows to see the next photo!
Related: Northrop Grumman launches Cygnus NG-13 cargo ship to ISS for NASA
Launch video
Northrop Grumman launched Cygnus NG-13 at 3:21 p.m. EST (2021 GMT). It was a launch time with a twist! By coincidence, the launch time was a numerical countdown for the mission itself!
3-2-1, liftoff!
U.S. Air Force Maj. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., the first African-American ever selected as an astronaut, stands next to an F-104 Starfighter supersonic jet in this photo. The Cygnus NG-13 spacecraft is named the "S.S. Robert H. Lawrence" to honor the astronaut, who died in a training accident in 1967 before he could launch.
Northrop Grumman's 13th Cygnus cargo resupply ship, christened the "S.S. Robert H. Lawrence" in honor of the first African American astronaut, is prepared for mating to a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr., seen here at a 1967 press conference for the U.S. Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, was the first African American to be selected as an astronaut. Lawrence died in December 1967 in an F-104 jet crash.
Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket is a two-stage vehicle designed to launch Cygnus cargo ships into space. The version used to launch the NG-13 mission is the company's most powerful yet, the 230+. It stands 139 feet (nearly 43 meters) tall.
The Antares rocket's first stage fires its twin RD-181 engines to launch the Cygnus NG-13 cargo ship on Feb. 15, 2020. The engines are made by Russia's Khimki-based Energomash, the same company that builds the RD-180 for United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rockets.
A view of Antares lifting off from Pad-0A in the afternoon sun.
The mission was originally scheduled to launch on Sunday (Feb. 9), but a sensor issue on ground equipment prompted a delay. Bad weather later in the week prevented launch attempts until Saturday, Feb. 15.
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (or MARS) is overseen by Virginia Space, a commercial spaceport group that uses launchpads at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.
The Antares rocket that launched NG-13 (shown here) is the largest rocket that launches from the spaceport.
A stunning view of the Antares launch by NASA photographer Aubrey Gemignani.
While the NG-13 mission's afternoon launch was amazing, the original launch target on Sunday, Feb. 9, was scheduled for just after sunset at Wallops Flight Facility and could have created dazzling views for observers along the U.S. East Coast.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus NG-13 cargo resupply spacecraft is seen early in the morning on Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 9, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket arrives at launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020, ahead of its planned launch of the Cygnus NG-13 cargo resupply ship to the International Space Station.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is raised into a vertical position on Pad-0A, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket arrives at launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020, ahead of its planned launch of the Cygnus NG-13 cargo resupply ship to the International Space Station.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket arrives at launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020, ahead of its planned launch of the Cygnus NG-13 cargo resupply ship to the International Space Station.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket arrives at launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 5, 2020, ahead of its planned launch of the Cygnus NG-13 cargo resupply ship to the International Space Station.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus NG-13 resupply spacecraft is horizontal for the final cargo load on Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 7, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus NG-13 resupply spacecraft is horizontal for the final cargo load on Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 7, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus NG-13 resupply spacecraft is horizontal for the final cargo load on Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 7, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus NG-13 resupply spacecraft is seen out of the back of a boat during sunrise at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 9, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus NG-13 resupply spacecraft is seen early in the morning as the moon sets on Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 9, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus NG-13 resupply spacecraft is seen early in the morning as the moon sets on Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Feb. 9, 2020.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus NG-13 resupply spacecraft is seen at sunrise on Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on the morning before its planned launch on Feb. 9, 2020.
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