Delivery on its way: NASA teams with Northrop Grumman and SpaceX on launch from Cape

SpaceX managed to fly out ahead of Tropical Storm Debby ? sending a Cygnus spacecraft on a delivery for NASA.

With only a forecasted 10 percent chance of favorable conditions, the Falcon 9 rocket got the weather it needed and lifted off on time. Blasting off at 11:02 a.m. from Launch Complex 40, the rocket sent a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station.

Eight and a half minutes later, the Falcon 9 first stage booster announced its return to Cape Canaveral Landing Zone 1 with a sonic boom.

Onboard this Cygnus cargo spacecraft is food, supplies, science experiments, and even STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) demonstrations for astronauts to record for students on Earth.

A variety of fresh food, such as squash, apples, carrots, oranges, radishes, and blueberries, were packed onboard, according to Bill Spetch, Operations Integration Manager for the International Space Station.

On Tuesday morning, the spacecraft will arrive at the International Space Station, where NASA astronauts Matt Dominick and Jeanette Epps will capture it with the onboard robotic arm.

The Cygnus will not be reused. After arriving Tuesday morning, it will stay docked onboard the space station until January ? when it will be detached and burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

SpaceX liftoff of Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft from Cape Canaveral

Encased in SpaceX payload fairings, the Cygnus spacecraft lifted off as many eyed weather conditions. Gusty winds and cloud cover lingered over the Cape as impacts from Tropical Strom Debby out in the Gulf were anticipated to move into the area.

This launch marked the second time SpaceX provided launch services for a Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply mission for NASA. The first mission was in January of this year.

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During a prelaunch press briefing, Ryan Tintner, vice president of civil space systems at Northrop Grumman, told media this Cygnus spacecraft is named in honor of astronaut Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee. Scobee was the commander of the Space Shuttle Challenger during its tragic final mission.

Northrop Grumman and NASA partnerships are not new. Also launching its Cygnus from Wallops Island, Virginia, Northrop Grumman has been supporting NASA commercial resupply missions for over a decade.

Northrop Grumman Cygnus post-launch issue

After Sunday's launch, the Cygnus spacecraft successfully separated from the Falcon 9 second stage. However, the Cygnus did not preform its first burn ? which boosts the spacecraft in altitude.

According to NASA, the spacecraft's engine does not appear to be the issue. The spacecraft is currently in a safe orbit, and Northrop Grumman engineers plan to work around the issue, getting the Cygnus to the space station on schedule.

If all continues to go as planned, capture of the Cygnus by astronauts Dominick and Epps is scheduled for 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launches Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft from Cape Canaveral