The next cargo run to the International Space Station arrived at the orbiting outpost midday on Monday.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft was captured by the Canadarm2 on the ISS 12:19 pm CT (1:19 pm ET / 1719 UTC) as the ISS was flying just off the southwest tip of the African continent. This was about 30 minutes later than originally anticipated to allow time for teams on the ground and crew onboard the station to ensure there was good data agreement.

NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway was at the controls of the robotic arm while fellow NASA astronaut Chris Williams monitored the spacecraft’s arrival.

The mission is the second flight of a Cygnus XL vehicle manufactured by Northrop Grumman. It’s able to carry about 33 percent more mass to orbit compared to the previously flown version of the vehicle.

This Cygnus XL in particular, named S.S. Steven R. Nagel after the NASA astronaut who passed away in 2014, carried 11,020 pounds (5,000 kg of science and supplies onboard. Among the cargo are expanded capabilities for the ISS, like a new module for the Cold Atom Lab, called Science Module-3X (SM-3X).

“This increases the size of the atom clouds that are going to be generated. And that, of course is the coldest place in the universe,” said Dr. Liz Warren, NASA’s ISS Deputy Chief Scientist. “In microgravity, when you create those cold atom gases it allows us and scientists to study what is happening at the quantum level. And so, this kind of research helps keep our nation at the forefront of quantum technology research.”

Cygnus XL separation confirmed. The spacecraft is expected to reach the @Space_Station for capture on Monday, April 13 at 12:50 p.m. ET pic.twitter.com/mxKpJG6v60

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 11, 2026

Dina Contella, NASA’s ISS Deputy Program Manager, noted that among the hardware that just arrived at the ISS is the Supplemental Heat Rejection Evaporative Cooler (SHREC).

“SHREC’s purpose is to provide cooling to some of the avionics and critical systems onboard ISS should we have both of the external cooling loops go down. So, for example, if both pump modules fail on the outside of station,” Contella said. “And so, this device essentially allows for us to use the vacuum system to evaporate water through some membranes and allow for some cooling.

The Cygnus vehicle also includes many shelf-stable food items, like almond butters, coffee, tea, nutrition bars, and dark chocolate. It also contains fresh food, like hummus, apples, blueberries, oranges, and baby carrots.

Second Cygnus XL takes flight

The S.S. Steven R. Nagel launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 11 at 7:41 a.m. EDT (1141 UTC). The Saturday morning flight came following launch delays due to poor weather at the pad in Florida.

The mission, also referred to as NG-24, was the fourth launch of a Cygnus spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket after the retirement of the Antares 230+ in August 2023. Nearly eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage booster, tail number B1094, flying for a seventh time, landed at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 40, adjacent to the launch pad.

This was just the second time that SpaceX used its new landing site, following the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission in mid-February. 

Northrop Grumman will eventually transition to using its Antares 330 rocket for a few flights, which will feature the same upper stage — a Northrop Grumman 30 XL solid rocket motor — but includes a new first stage from Firefly Aerospace, which is powered by seven of its Miranda engines.

Following three planned launches of the Antares 330, Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace will transition to a new, medium-lift launch vehicle called Eclipse. The 53-meter-tall (194 ft) rocket will use the same first stage being developed for the Antares 330, but then use a new second stage powered by a Firefly Vira engine.

In a social media statement on Monday, Firefly confirmed that Eclipse will have a reusable first stage, but not right from the get go.

“We’re taking an iterative approach and will be testing capabilities on the initial flights,” the company said.

Eclipse is getting a fresh look! Firefly and @northropgrumman are redefining what’s possible in medium-lift launch, and this game-changing rocket deserves a livery that matches. Learn more about Eclipse here: https://t.co/GDhTWzo3jN pic.twitter.com/Mlir8KGqv8

— Firefly Aerospace (@FireflySpace) April 13, 2026

In May 2025, after Northrop Grumman invested $50 million in the development of Eclipse, the hope was to see it launch for the first time in 2026. However, at this point, Firefly Aerospace most recently said it’s anticipating the first launch of Eclipse to take place no earlier than 2027. 

The first Antares 330 launch may launch at some point this year, but a launch date hasn’t been announced.