.jpg) Cygnus S.S. Patricia "Patty" Hilliard Robertson (NG-20), the spacecraft used in the mission, undergoing tests at Kennedy Space Center | |
| Names | CRS NG-20 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS resupply |
| Operator | Northrop Grumman |
| COSPAR ID | 2024-021A |
| SATCAT no. | 58898 |
| Mission duration | 164 days, 21 hours and 53 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | S.S. Patricia "Patty" Hilliard Robertson |
| Spacecraft type | Enhanced Cygnus |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 30 January 2024, 17:07:15 UTC (12:07:15 pm EDT)[1] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1077.10) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, SLC-40 |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 13 July 2024, 15:00 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Berthing at the ISS | |
| Berthing port | Unity nadir |
| RMS capture | 1 February 2024, 09:59 UTC |
| Berthing date | 1 February 2024, 12:14 UTC |
| Unberthing date | 12 July 2024, 08:00 UTC |
| RMS release | 12 July 2024, 11:01 UTC |
| Time berthed | 161 days, 22 hours and 47 minutes |
| Cargo | |
| Mass | 3,726 kg (8,214 lb) |
| Pressurised | 3,712 kg (8,184 lb) |
| Unpressurised | 14 kg (31 lb) |
 Cygnus NG-20 mission patch | |
NG-20 was the twentieth flight of the Cygnus, an expendable American cargo spacecraft used for International Space Station (ISS) logistics missions that launched on 30 January 2024 and was deorbited on 13 July 2024. It was operated by Northrop Grumman under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. The spacecraft was an Enhanced Cygnus, named the S.S. Patricia "Patty" Hilliard Robertson in honor of the NASA astronaut who died in a plane crash prior to being assigned to a crew to fly to the ISS.
NG-20 was the first launch of a Cygnus spacecraft after Northrop Grumman exhausted the supply of its Antares 230+ rocket. The Antares used a Russian-built engine and Ukrainian-built first stage, and production ceased after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Northrup Grumman expects its next-generation Antares 300 rocket that does not depend on Ukrainian or Russian parts to be ready to fly NG-23. As an interim solution, Northrup Grumman contracted with its CRS competitor SpaceX to launch NG-20, 21 and 22 using its Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. With the launch of NG-20, Cygnus becomes only cargo freighter to launch on four different orbital launchers, that is, Antares rocket (100 series), Atlas V, Antares 200 series and Falcon 9. The rocket’s first stage, B1077, made its 10th flight on this mission.