Ninth cargo resupply mission successfully launches from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport

RICHMOND—Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, NASA, and Virginia Space celebrate a successful NG-10 launch for cargo resupply to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission occurred on November 17, 2018, at 4:23 a.m. from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad 0A located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. MARS Pad 0A was built by the Commonwealth of Virginia to accommodate the Antares 230 medium-class liquid-fuel rocket and Cygnus spacecraft.

“Today’s launch represents a tremendous win for Virginia and for space exploration, and we are proud that Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is able to serve as the site for this important resupply mission to the International Space Station,” said Governor Northam. “We look forward to many more successful missions that will continue to propel our Commonwealth forward and increase Virginia’s economic competitiveness.”

“This mission is important for scientific research, advancing studies from astrophysics to pathology,” said Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “With this focus, the Wallops Island facility is a strategic national asset attracting businesses and missions that are changing the world.”

“This is the second launch this year from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport to the ISS, and we are looking forward to NG-11 in spring 2019,” stated Dale Nash, CEO and Executive Director of Virginia Space. “Recent upgrades to Pad 0A worked flawlessly and Virginia Space is pleased with the consistent and rapid turnaround from rollout to launch of the Antares rocket. Virginia Space, NASA Wallops, and Northrop Grumman continue to strengthen our excellent partnership that benefits NASA’s Space Flight Program as well as the nation’s overall space interests.”

The NG-10 mission represents the ninth launch of the Cygnus Spacecraft perched atop the Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems’ Antares rocket. The Cygnus Enhanced Pressurized Cargo Module (EPCM) carried one of the largest loads to date, transporting approximately 7,500 pounds of crew supplies, science and research, and vehicle hardware to the ISS. Upon mission conclusion, Cygnus will be loaded with trash for removal from the Station. Expended cargo disposal is a vital capability for the maintenance and operation of the ISS.

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, located on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, plays a key role in national security and assured access to space as one of only four states in the United States that is licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch spacecraft into orbit. Virginia stands ready to continue supporting Northrop Grumman and NASA for launching Antares and Cygnus for cargo resupply missions to the ISS as well as other future missions.