SpaceX is targeting Saturday, August 3 for Falcon 9’s launch of Northrop Grumman’s 21st Cygnus mission (NG-21) to the International Space Station from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 11:29 a.m. ET, with a backup launch opportunity available on Sunday, August 4 at 11:02 a.m. ET.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about 20 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.
This is the tenth flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Ax-2, Euclid, Ax-3, CRS-30, SES ASTRA 1P, and four Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9 will land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Aboard the Cygnus spacecraft are tests of water recovery technology, a process to produce stem cells in microgravity, studies of the effects of spaceflight on microorganism DNA, liver tissue growth, and live science demonstrations for students.
Additionally, Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace continue work on the Antares 330 rocket set to launch in 2025 with the power of seven Miranda engines for the first stage of this rocket, while Northrop Grumman’s Castor 30XL solid rocket motor will power the second stage, as it did for the Antares 230.