CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman’s latest cargo craft to the International Space Station on Sunday night, which is filled with more than 11,000 pounds of supplies and scientific equipment.
What You Need To Know
- The NG-23 mission was the fourth one for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1094
- The Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft is named in honor of the late NASA astronaut William “Willie” C. McCool
- Learn more about the various equipment being launch
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated the California-based company.
The launch happened at 6:11 p.m. ET. The launch window was from 6:02 p.m. ET to 6:22 p.m. ET. That means SpaceX had during that timeframe to launch the mission.
Taking a trip to the ISS
The NG-23 mission was the fourth one for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1094.
This booster has flown two crewed missions.
Once the first-stage separation was completed, the first-stage booster landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 2.
Falcon 9’s first stage lands at LZ-2 after launching @NorthropGrumman’s NG-23 mission from pad 40 in Florida pic.twitter.com/rXmoJQAymG
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 15, 2025
About the mission
This will be the first mission for the solar-powered Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft, according to Northrop Grumman.
The pressurized craft will be delivering more than 11,000 pounds (5,000 kilograms) of supplies and scientific equipment to the International Space Station.
This craft has a storage capacity that is larger than other versions of itself, stated Northrop Grumman.
“Following arrival, astronauts aboard the space station will use the Canadarm2 to grapple Cygnus XL on Wednesday, Sept. 17, before robotically installing the spacecraft to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading,” NASA explained.
Northrop Grumman has named the NG-23 Cygnus spacecraft in honor of NASA astronaut William “Willie” C. McCool, who died while piloting the space shuttle Columbia during its final mission in 2003.
Some of the supplies, hardware and scientific equipment being sent up are, according to NASA:
“IDA Planar Reflector — This is a reflective element used by visiting spacecraft during docking. The spacecraft bounces a laser off the reflector to compute relative range, velocity, and attitude on approach to the International Space Station.”
“Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Distillation Assembly — The urine processor on the space station uses filtration and distillation to separate water from wastewater to produce potable water. This unit is launching as a spare.”
“Air Selector Valve — This electro-mechanical assembly is used to direct airflow through the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly. Two units are launching as spares.”
“Quick Don Mask Assembly — This mask is used by the crew, along with the Pre-Breath Assembly, in emergency situations. This unit is launching to replace a unit aboard station.”
Learn more about what is being sent up here.
The spacecraft will be docked to the International Space Station until March of 2026, when it will be filled with trash and undocked, where it will meet its end when it burns up in Earth’s atmosphere during re-entry, stated NASA during a teleconference on Friday.
Anthony Leone
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