NASA’s Cygnus XL Resupply Spacecraft Berths at ISS After Propulsion Anomaly

Lead NASA and Northrop Grumman’s upgraded Cygnus XL cargo vehicle successfully berthed to the International Space Station at 7:18 a.m. EDT today, Sept. 18, following a brief propulsion glitch that delayed its rendezvous by one day.

Nut Graf The first flight of Cygnus XL-the larger, 33 percent more capable variant of Northrop Grumman’s commercial resupply spacecraft-delivered 11,000 pounds of research hardware, crew provisions and station spares, underscoring its pivotal role in sustaining long-duration human operations in low Earth orbit.

Mission Details

• Launch and Delay
• Liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral occurred Sept. 14 at 6:11 p.m. EDT.
• An early shutdown in two orbit-raising engine burns on Sept. 17 triggered by a conservative software safeguard pushed berthing back by 24 hours.
• Capture and Installation
• NASA astronaut Jonny Kim guided the station’s Canadarm2 to grapple Cygnus XL at 7:18 a.m. EDT.
• The spacecraft was installed on Unity module’s Earth-facing port at 8:25 a.m., marking the start of a six-month stay.
• Cargo and Capabilities
• Carries environmental monitoring gear, fluid loop hardware for life-support studies, and materials for space biology and physical-science experiments.
• Named S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool in honor of the fallen Columbia astronaut, Cygnus XL will remain docked until March 2026 before disposing of trash via a destructive re-entry.

What’s Next Station crews will unload and activate the new equipment over the coming days, while flight controllers monitor Cygnus XL systems. The mission sets the stage for commercial logistics support on NASA’s upcoming Artemis lunar and deep-space programs.