Cygnus Resupply Ship Approaching Station for Capture
NASA’s coverage is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more for the capture of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft. At approximately 7:18 a.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will capture the spacecraft using the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman will assist. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading.
On Sept. 16, the Cygnus XL spacecraft’s main engine shut down earlier than planned during two orbit-raising burns for its space station rendezvous. NASA and Northrop Grumman delayed its arrival while flight controllers assessed an alternate approach plan. The early shutdown was triggered by a conservative software safeguard. The spacecraft has been cleared for its approach to the orbiting laboratory.
The spacecraft launched at 6:11 p.m. on Sept. 14 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying more than 11,000 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory for NASA. The mission is known as NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23, or Northrop Grumman CRS-23.
Live coverage of Cygnus XL installation will begin at 8:25 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
NASA will provide coverage of the spacecraft’s installation beginning at 8 a.m. on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, X, Facebook, and the agency’s website.
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.