A KREPE-3 capsule floats inside the Cygnus XL

iss075e0185943 (Oct. 7, 2026) --- A KREPE-3 capsule floats inside the Northrup Grumman Cygnus XL 24 cargo spacecraft. Inside the capsule is a 3-D printed heat shield designed by researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The capsule is one of 10 that will be packed inside Cygnus XL for unberthing and release from the International Space Station. As the vehicle re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, it will break up and release the capsules, which will begin capturing data on how each capsule’s unique heat shield material experiences re-entry. The data collected will help researchers at NASA and commercial partners develop the next generation of thermal protection materials for a variety of missions.