Cygnus XL Cargo Craft Counts Down to Launch on NASA+
NASA’s coverage is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more for the launch of Northrop Grumman’s Commercial Resupply Services 23, or Northrop Grumman CRS-23, to the International Space Station. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
The company’s Cygnus XL spacecraft is scheduled for liftoff at 6:11 p.m. EDT on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Filled with more than 11,000 pounds of scientific investigations, food, supplies, and equipment, Cygnus XL will arrive at the orbiting outpost on Wednesday, Sept. 17. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will capture the spacecraft using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, with assistance from NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading.
This mission will be the first flight of the Cygnus XL, the larger, more cargo-capable version of the company’s solar-powered spacecraft. Northrop Grumman has named the spacecraft the S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool, in honor of the NASA astronaut who perished in 2003 during the space shuttle Columbia accident.
Learn more about station activities by following @NASASpaceOps and @space_station on X, as well as the International Space Station’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
