Northrop Grumman Names Next Cygnus Mission After Space Pioneer Sally Ride

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has named the next Cygnus mission to the International Space Station in honor of Dr. Sally Ride, astronaut, physicist, and first American woman to fly in space. The NG-18 mission is scheduled to launch on November 6.

The “S.S. Sally Ride” follows the company’s tradition of naming Cygnus spacecraft for an individual who has pioneered human spaceflight.​ Ride became the first American female astronaut serving on the crew of the second flight of Challenger and was a steadfast advocate for diversity and equality in science — inspiring countless women to pursue STEM careers.

Northrop Grumman uses Cygnus to perform International Space Station resupply flights under the second Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. The Cygnus vehicle provides a number of advanced capabilities during these cargo resupply missions, including acting as laboratory space while docked to the station and reboost services – a critical part of altitude maintenance for the station.

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