posted 03-10-2026 04:18 PM               

Northrop Grumman names spacecraft for late shuttle astronaut Steven Nagel

A late NASA astronaut who was among the small number who filled all three career positions on a space shuttle crew — mission specialist, pilot and commander — is being memorialized with the naming of a commercial cargo spacecraft.

Northrop Grumman on Tuesday (March 10) announced that its next Cygnus XL capsule to launch to the International Space Station will be named for Steven Nagel. The company's 24th commercial resupply services (CRS-24) mission for NASA is targeted to lift off no earlier than April 8 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

posted 04-08-2026 09:50 AM               

SpaceX is targeting Saturday (April 11) for the Falcon 9 launch of Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL commercial resupply mission (NG-24) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Liftoff is targeted for 7:41 a.m. EDT, with a backup launch opportunity available on Sunday, April 12 at 7:15 a.m. EDT.

posted 04-11-2026 06:41 AM               

Watch the launch of a cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, delivering supplies, new research, and a module to advance quantum science.

posted 04-11-2026 09:33 AM               

Science, Cargo Launch Aboard NG-24

NASA is sending more science, technology demonstrations, and crew supplies to the International Space Station following the successful launch of the agency's Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 24 mission, or Northrop Grumman CRS-24.

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL spacecraft, the S.S. Steven R. Nagel, carrying approximately 11,000 pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at 7:41 a.m. EDT Saturday (April 11) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Cygnus XL is scheduled to be captured at 12:50 p.m. by the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, operated by NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module's Earth-facing port for cargo unloading.

The resupply mission is carrying dozens of research experiments that will be conducted during Expedition 74/75, including a new module to advance quantum science that could improve computing technology and aid in the search for dark matter, and hardware to produce a greater number of therapeutic stem cells for blood diseases and cancer. Cygnus also carries model organisms to study the gut microbiome and a receiver that could enhance space weather models to protect critical space infrastructure, such as GPS and radar.

These experiments are just some of the hundreds of scientific investigations conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development and demonstrations.

The S.S. Steven R. Nagel is scheduled to remain at the orbiting laboratory until October, before it departs and disposes of thousands of pounds of trash through its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, where it will harmlessly burn up.

Northrop Grumman named the spacecraft in honor of the former NASA astronaut who flew four space shuttle missions, commanded the Gamma Ray Observatory deployment, and logged 723 hours in space.

posted 04-13-2026 12:01 PM               

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft arrives at the International Space Station, delivering supplies, new research, and a module to advance quantum science.