Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL Launches To International Space Station On NG-23 Cargo Resupply Mission

Northrop Grumman Corporation's first Cygnus XL spacecraft successfully launched to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in support of NASA's commercial resupply missions.

Above: Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft, the S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool, launched to the International Space Station via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (SpaceX)

• NG-23 marks the inaugural flight of the Cygnus XL spacecraft, an expanded version of Northrop Grumman's vehicle, with 33% more cargo capacity than the previous variant.

• NG-23 is carrying over 11,000 pounds of equipment, science experiments and supplies to the crew aboard the space station.

• Since its first flight in 2013, Cygnus has delivered more than 71,000 kg (approximately 148,000 pounds) of cargo to the International Space Station.

Ryan Tintner, vice president, civil space systems, Northrop Grumman: "Our Cygnus XL is another step towards a thriving commercial space economy. The spacecraft carries more cargo, making each mission more efficient. We've supported NASA and the space station for decades, and we know what it takes to develop advanced capabilities for exploring space."

Northrop Grumman names each Cygnus spacecraft in honor of an individual who has made great contributions to human spaceflight. For NG-23, Cygnus XL is named for William "Willie" McCool, a NASA astronaut and naval aviator. After completing his flight training in 1986, Willie's long U.S. Navy career included test and operational deployments, totaling over 2,800 flight hours. Willie was the pilot of the STS-107 mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, and perished during the Columbia accident.

Since 2022, Cygnus has provided reboost services to help the station maintain its orbit, with the opportunity for more during this mission based on NASA's needs. Cygnus XL incorporates several Northrop Grumman-manufactured components, such as avionics and power modules, harness assemblies, UltraFlex solar arrays, spacecraft structures, propulsion tanks and loop heat pipe radiators for temperature control.

According to my records, this is the 300th mission in the ISS history since the start of its orbital assembly in 1998.

NASA, Northrop Grumman Assessing Cygnus XL Engine Burn Plan

NASA and Northrop Grumman are delaying the arrival of the Cygnus XL to the International Space Station as flight controllers evaluate an alternate burn plan for the resupply spacecraft. The Cygnus XL will not arrive to the space station on Wednesday, Sept. 17, as originally planned, with a new arrival date and time under review.

Early Tuesday morning (Sept. 16), Cygnus XL's main engine stopped earlier than planned during two burns designed to raise the orbit of the spacecraft for rendezvous with the space station, where it will deliver 11,000 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory for NASA. All other Cygnus XL systems are performing normally.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is scheduled to capture Cygnus XL using the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm with backup support from NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module's Earth-facing port and will remain at the space station until March 2026.

NASA, Northrop Grumman 'Go' to Proceed with Cygnus XL Station Arrival

NASA and Northrop Grumman are targeting the safe arrival of the company's Cygnus XL at approximately 7:18 a.m. EDT (1118 GMT) on Thursday, Sept. 18, to the International Space Station. The Cygnus XL now will conduct a series of burns to bring the spacecraft to the space station for its robotic capture and installation.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is scheduled to capture Cygnus XL using the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm with backup support from NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module's Earth-facing port and will remain at the space station until March 2026.

The Cygnus XL 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. On Sept. 16, Cygnus XL commanded the main engine to shutdown earlier than planned during two, non-sequential rendezvous burns (delta velocity burns 3 and 5), designed to raise the orbit of the spacecraft for rendezvous with the space station.

Cygnus XL's trajectory placed the spacecraft a safe distance behind the space station while engineers assessed the spacecraft and developed its alternate burn plan. Data shared by the spacecraft confirmed that Cygnus XL operated as intended during two planned maneuvers when an early warning system initiated a shutdown command and ended the main engine burn because of a conservative safeguard in the software settings.

NASA's arrival, capture, and installation coverage are as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Thursday, Sept. 18
• 5:45 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins
  
• 7:18 a.m. – Capture of Cygnus XL with the space station's robotic arm.
  
• 8:25 a.m. – Installation coverage begins

Cygnus captured and berthed to space station

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL, the "S.S. William C. "Willie" McCool, was attached to the side of the International Space Station's Unity node on Thursday (Sept. 18) at 10:10 a.m. EDT (1410 GMT).

Earlier, at 7:24 a.m. EDT (1124 GMT), NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, with assistance from NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, captured the Cygnus XL using the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

Cygnus released from space station

On Thursday (March 12), Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL, the "S.S. William C. "Willie" McCool, was released from the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which earlier detached the cargo spacecraft from the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Unity module. At the time of release, 7:06 a.m. EDT (1106 GMT), the station was flying about 260 miles over the south Atlantic Ocean.

The Cygnus XL spacecraft departed the space station more than seven months after arriving at the orbiting laboratory. It will be commanded to deorbit on Saturday (March 14), to dispose of several thousand pounds of trash during its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, where it will harmlessly burn up.