This Week @NASA: ISS Resupply Mission, Psyche Solar Array Wings, Space Apps Challenge

File photo of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter positioned away from the International Space Station in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm prior to its release ending a four-month stay attached to the orbiting lab’s Unity module. Credit: NASA

A commercial resupply mission heads to the space station …

A key piece of hardware for a future Moon mission is on the move …

And another spacecraft gets ready to spread its wings in deep space …

A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

Commercial Resupply Mission Launches to the Space Station

On August 1, a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft launched to the International Space Station from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. The Cygnus, named after late NASA astronaut Laurel Clark, was filled with more than 8,200 pounds of supplies and scientific research for the crew aboard the space station.

ULA crews guide the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage) for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to the loading dock and awaiting barge in Decatur, Alabama, for shipment to Florida, July 31. Credit: NASA/Brandon Hancock

NASA Rocket Hardware Prepped for Shipment to Space Coast

Teams at United Launch Alliance’s Decatur, Alabama facility recently packed up NASA’s Space Launch System or SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage for Artemis III. The flight hardware, sometimes referred to as the ICPS for short, was being prepped for a trip to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for final checkouts. During the Artemis III mission, the ICPS will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft to the Moon.

Technicians begin to retract one of the two solar arrays attached to NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. This photo was taken on July 25 inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Psyche Solar Array Wings Tested and Stowed for Launch

Engineers recently attached the solar array wings for NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. The arrays were also tested to make sure they deploy correctly and were then re-stowed in preparation for the spacecraft’s journey to a metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche, that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The huge arrays are designed to give the spacecraft the power it needs to operate in the low light of deep space. The mission is targeted for launch this October. Find out more at nasa.gov/psyche.

NASA Space Apps Challenge participants in Dushunbe, Tajikistan. Credit: NASA

Registration Open for Space Apps Challenge

Registration is open for the 2023 NASA Space Apps Challenge. The two-day event – scheduled for October 7 and 8 – is the largest annual global hackathon. It is designed for people around the world to come together and use open data from NASA and other space agencies to solve real-world challenges on Earth and in space. Learn more at spaceappschallenge.org.

That’s what’s up this week @NASA!