 S.S. Francis R. "Dick" Scobee (NG-21) spacecraft approaches the ISS | |
| Names | CRS NG-21 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS resupply |
| Operator | Northrop Grumman |
| COSPAR ID | 2024-139A |
| SATCAT no. | 60378 |
| Mission duration | 5 months (planned) 98 days, 18 hours and 15 minutes (in progress) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | S.S. Francis R. "Dick" Scobee |
| Spacecraft type | Enhanced Cygnus |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 4 August 2024, 15:02:53 UTC (11:02:53 am EDT) |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1080.10) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40 |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | January 2025 (planned) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Berthing at ISS | |
| Berthing port | Unity nadir |
| RMS capture | 6 August 2024, 07:11 UTC |
| Berthing date | 6 August 2024, 09:33 UTC |
| Unberthing date | January 2025 (planned) |
| RMS release | January 2025 (planned) |
| Time berthed | 96 days, 23 hours and 44 minutes (in progress) |
| Cargo | |
| Mass | 3,857 kg (8,503 lb) |
| Pressurised | 3,843 kg (8,472 lb) |
| Unpressurised | 14 kg (31 lb) |
 Mission patch | |
NG-21 is the twenty-first flight of the Cygnus, an expendable American cargo spacecraft used for International Space Station (ISS) logistics missions, that launched on 4 August 2024. It is operated by Northrop Grumman under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. The spacecraft is an Enhanced Cygnus, named the S.S. Francis R. "Dick" Scobee in honor of the NASA astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
NG-21 is the second 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. Northrop 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, Northrop Grumman contracted with its CRS competitor SpaceX to launch NG-20, 21 and 22 using its Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.