NASA - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
10/09/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/09/2026 10:39
Cygnus XL Cargo Spacecraft Departing Station Soon on NASA+
Cygnus XL Cargo Spacecraft Departing Station Soon on NASA+
The Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft is held in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm as it is maneuvered toward the International Space Station's Unity module for installation on April 13, 2026.
NASA
NASA is streaming live coverage of Northrop Grumman's Commercial Resupply Services-24 mission departure from the International Space Station. Watch online at:
Ground controllers commanded the space station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach the Cygnus XL spacecraft from the Unity module's Earth-facing port and maneuver it into position for release at approximately 12:43 p.m. EDT. NASA astronaut Luke Delaney is monitoring the operation aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Loaded with thousands of pounds of disposal items and other unneeded cargo, Cygnus XL will deorbit Sunday, Oct. 11, and make a destructive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, where it will safely burn up. NASA will not provide coverage of the deorbit.
The resupply spacecraft launched April 11 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
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Mark A. Garcia
October 9, 2026 12:35PM
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