== Mission ==
== Mission ==
Assembly of the service module for NG-23 spacecraft took place in Dulles, Virginia. The service module was integrated with the pressurized cargo module at the launch site, with mission operations coordinated from control centers in Dulles and Houston, Texas.<ref name=”Cygnus Spacecraft” />
Assembly of the service module for NG-23 spacecraft took place in Dulles, Virginia. The service module was integrated with the pressurized cargo module at the launch site, with mission operations coordinated from control centers in Dulles and Houston, Texas.<ref name=”Cygnus Spacecraft” />
The flight marks the first launch of the ”Cygnus XL” configuration, which is designed to increase cargo capacity and volume for future Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions.<ref name=”mission-b” /> NASA and Northrop Grumman conducted additional certification work to assess the thermal and life-support impacts of the larger design, as well as to evaluate how the [[Canadarm2]] could best accommodate the heavier and longer vehicle.<ref name=”Teleconference” >{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyDPFCcAe6w |title=NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 Mission – Prelaunch Media Teleconference |date=September 12, 2025 |last=NASA Video |access-date=2025-09-12 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
The flight marks the first launch of the ”Cygnus XL” configuration, designed to increase cargo capacity and volume for future Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions.<ref name=”mission-b” /> NASA and Northrop Grumman conducted additional certification work to assess the thermal and life-support impacts of the larger design, as well as to evaluate how the [[Canadarm2]] could best accommodate the heavier and longer vehicle.<ref name=”Teleconference”>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyDPFCcAe6w |title=NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 Mission Prelaunch Media Teleconference |date=September 12, 2025 |=NASA |access-date=2025-09-12 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
[[Jonny Kim]] is scheduled to capture the spacecraft with Canadarm2, assisted by [[Zena Cardman]]. Following capture, ground teams will maneuver and berth the vehicle. Hatch opening is planned approximately {{frac|7|1|2}} hours later.<ref name=”Teleconference” />
[[Jonny Kim]] is scheduled to capture the spacecraft with Canadarm2, assisted by [[Zena Cardman]]. Following capture, ground teams will maneuver and berth the vehicle. Hatch opening is planned approximately {{frac|7|1|2}} hours later.<ref name=”Teleconference” />
NG-23 is planned to remain at the station until March 2026. However, the spacecraft will need to be unberthed in mid-November 2025 and held on Canadarm2 away from the docking port, as its position would otherwise interfere with the approach corridor for [[Soyuz MS-28]] at the ”[[Rassvet (ISS module)|Rassvet]]” nadir docking port. If this maneuver cannot be carried out, NG-23 would be required to depart in November.<ref name=”Teleconference” />
NG-23 is planned to remain at the station until March 2026. However, the spacecraft will need to be unberthed in mid-November 2025 and held on Canadarm2 away from the docking port, as its position would otherwise interfere with the approach corridor for [[Soyuz MS-28]] at the ”[[Rassvet (ISS module)|Rassvet]]” nadir docking port. If this maneuver cannot be carried out, NG-23 would be required to depart in November.<ref name=”Teleconference” />
The ”Cygnus XL” is equipped with “Extend the Lab” capabilities, allowing experiments to be conducted within the spacecraft by delivering power to the experiments, enabling science to take place without unloading them. Cygnus is also capable of performing ISS [[reboost]]s if requested by NASA. After unberthing, but before its controlled destructive reentry, the Cygnus XL will conduct a secondary mission to test the PALOMINO electrospray thruster subsystem developed by Revolution Space.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtuFHjmwIsA |title=NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 Launch |language=en |time=39:20 |publisher=NASA |access-date=2025-09-14 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
== Manifest changes ==
== Manifest changes ==
Summer 2025 cargo mission to the ISS
.jpg) |
|
| Names | CRS NG-23 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS resupply |
| Operator | Northrop Grumman |
| Mission duration | 32 minutes (in progress) 6 months (planned) |
| Spacecraft | S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool |
| Spacecraft type | Cygnus XL |
| Manufacturer | |
| Launch date | September 14, 2025, 22:11:49 UTC (6:11:49 pm EDT) |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1094‑4) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40 |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Berthing port | Unity nadir |
| RMS capture | September 17, 2025, 10:35 UTC (planned) |
| Berthing date | September 17, 2025 (planned) |
| Unberthing date | November 2025 (planned) |
| Reberthing port | Unity nadir |
| Reberthing date | November 2025 (planned) |
| Unreberthing date | March 2026 (planned) |
| RMS release | March 2026 (planned) |
| Mass | >5,000 kg (11,000 lb) |
 Mission patch |
|
NG-23 is a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. Operated by Northrop Grumman, the flight successfully launched on September 14, 2025, aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.[1] The spacecraft is named S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool in honor of the NASA astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.[2]
The mission debuted the Cygnus XL spacecraft configuration, featuring a pressurized cargo module measuring 7.89 meters (25.9 ft) in length, with a payload capacity of over 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb), an increase of 19.5%, and a pressurized cargo volume of 36 cubic metres (1,300 cu ft), an increase of 15.5%.[3][4]
It is the third Cygnus launch on a Falcon 9, arranged after Northrop Grumman’s Antares 230+ was retired in 2023 due to supply chain disruptions stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A successor, the Antares 300, is under development with no Russian or Ukrainian components.[1]
Background
The Cygnus cargo spacecraft was developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation with partial funding from NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. It pairs a pressurized cargo module built by Thales Alenia Space—derived from the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module used on the Space Shuttle—with a service module based on Orbital’s GEOStar satellite bus.
The first Standard Cygnus flew in 2013, followed by the larger Enhanced Cygnus in 2015. Orbital Sciences became Orbital ATK in 2015 and was acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2018. Since then, Northrop Grumman has continued CRS operations. NG-23 is the eleventh Cygnus mission under the CRS-2 contract.[5]
Mission
Assembly of the service module for the NG-23 spacecraft took place in Dulles, Virginia. The service module was integrated with the pressurized cargo module at the launch site, with mission operations coordinated from control centers in Dulles and Houston, Texas.[5]
The flight marks the first launch of the Cygnus XL configuration, designed to increase cargo capacity and volume for future Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions.[3] NASA and Northrop Grumman conducted additional certification work to assess the thermal and life-support impacts of the larger design, as well as to evaluate how the Canadarm2 could best accommodate the heavier and longer vehicle.[6]
Jonny Kim is scheduled to capture the spacecraft with Canadarm2, assisted by Zena Cardman. Following capture, ground teams will maneuver and berth the vehicle. Hatch opening is planned approximately 7+1⁄2 hours later.[6]
NG-23 is planned to remain at the station for 200 days, until March 2026. However, the spacecraft will need to be unberthed in mid-November 2025 and held on Canadarm2 away from the docking port, as its position would otherwise interfere with the approach corridor for Soyuz MS-28 at the Rassvet nadir docking port. If this maneuver cannot be carried out, NG-23 would be required to depart in November.[6]
The Cygnus XL is equipped with “Extend the Lab” capabilities, allowing experiments to be conducted within the spacecraft by delivering power to the experiments, enabling science to take place without unloading them. Cygnus is also capable of performing ISS reboosts if requested by NASA. After unberthing, but before its controlled destructive reentry, the Cygnus XL will conduct a secondary mission to test the PALOMINO electrospray thruster subsystem developed by Revolution Space.[7]
Manifest changes
NG-23 was advanced in the launch schedule by four months after the indefinite delay of Cygnus NG-22, whose pressurized cargo module was damaged during transportation to the launch site in early 2025. Following inspections, NASA and Northrop Grumman replaced NG-22 with the next available vehicle, NG-23, which launched in September 2025.[8][9][10]
See also
References
- ^ a b “CRS NG-23 Mission”. Next Spaceflight. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ “Cygnus NG-23” (PDF). Northrop Grumman. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Foust, Jeff (August 3, 2023). “Northrop Grumman planning Cygnus upgrades”. SpaceNews. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ “NASA Commercial Resupply Mission NG-23”. Northrop Grumman. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ^ a b “Cygnus Spacecraft”. Northrop Grumman. January 6, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 Mission – Prelaunch Media Teleconference. NASA. September 12, 2025. Retrieved September 12, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 Launch. NASA. Event occurs at 39:20. Retrieved September 14, 2025 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ “NASA cancels cargo launch to ISS due to damaged Cygnus spacecraft”. Space.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ “After a spacecraft was damaged en route to launch, NASA says it won’t launch”. Ars Technica. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ “Cygnus mission to ISS scrapped after finding spacecraft damage”. SpaceNews. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
