Northrop Grumman Names Spacecraft After Kalpana Chawla, To Be Launched Into Orbit On September 29
The Cygnus spacecraft will deliver approximately 3,629 kg (8,000lb.) of cargo to the space station. The S.S. Kalpana Chawla will be launched into orbit from Virginia Space's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Wallops Island, Virginia.
Northrop Grumman has named its next space station resupply ship ¡®S.S. Kalpana Chawla¡¯ after Dr Kalpana Chawla, an astronaut of Indian descent.
¡°Northrop Grumman is proud to name the NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft after former astronaut Kalpana Chawla. It is the company¡¯s tradition to name each Cygnus after an individual who has played a pivotal role in human spaceflight. Chawla was selected in honor of her prominent place in history as the first woman of Indian descent to go to space,¡± Northrop Grumman said in a statement.
The S.S. Kalpana Chawla will be launched into orbit from Virginia Space¡¯s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Wallops Island on September 29.
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"Today we honor Kalpana Chawla, who made history at NASA as the first female astronaut of Indian descent. Her contributions to human spaceflight have had a lasting impact. Meet our next Cygnus vehicle, the S.S. Kalpana Chawla," the aerospace and defense technology company tweeted.
Also Read: Watch The Final Moments Of The Columbia Disaster That Killed Kalpana Chawla And 6 Other Astronauts
Northrop Grumman, NASA's resupply contractor further added, "Liftoff is targeted for September 29 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility."
Today, @NorthropGrumman named the next #Cygnus spacecraft launching to @Space_Station in honor of astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first woman of Indian descent to go to space: https://t.co/ncUSaSaESd
¡ª NASA (@NASA) September 8, 2020
Liftoff is targeted for Sept. 29 from @NASA_Wallops. pic.twitter.com/Ss6ZoSZDbT
The Cygnus spacecraft will deliver approximately 3,629 kg (8,000lb.) of cargo to the space station.
Also Read: Here Are 7 Things You Need To Know About Kalpana Chawla, First Indian Woman In Space
Northrop Grumman will load critical cargo into S.S. Kalpana Chawla (Cygnus spacecraft), 24 hours before the scheduled launch.
Upon arrival at the International Space Station, the cargo will be unloaded from Cygnus. Once the spacecraft departs the station, S.S. Kalpana Chawla will host the Spacecraft Fire Experiment - V (Saffire-V) to study the behavior of large-scale fires in microgravity after which it will perform a safe, destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
collectspace.com
Kalpana Chawla was born and raised in Karnal and became the first woman of Indian descent to go into space, as a crew member of Space Shuttle Columbia on January 16, 2003. Chawla applied for and became a NASA astronaut as a member of "The Flying Escargot," NASA's 15th class of trainees. In 1997, she launched on STS-87, a 15-day shuttle mission that was dedicated to the science flying as part of the fourth United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4).
Also Read: Kalpana Chawla's Last Message To India From Space, Leaves Us Sad Yet Hopeful
Chawla and her six STS-107 crewmates died on February 1, 2003, over Texas as Columbia was re-entering Earth¡¯s atmosphere.
