Mon Sep 15 00:40:00 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**SpaceX Launches Northrop Grumman’s Enhanced Cygnus Cargo Ship to the ISS**

**Cape Canaveral, FL – September 15, 2025** – A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched Northrop Grumman’s new Cygnus XL cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS) yesterday, Sunday, September 14th, at 6:11 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This mission, designated NG-23, marks the debut of the Cygnus XL, a significantly larger and more capable version of the veteran cargo freighter.

NG-23 represents the 23rd cargo mission that Northrop Grumman has undertaken for NASA. This launch follows a series of setbacks, including the cancellation of the planned NG-22 mission due to damage sustained during transport.

The Cygnus XL is carrying approximately 11,000 pounds (4,990 kg) of critical supplies and scientific equipment to the ISS, an increase from the previous iteration’s capacity of 8,500 pounds (3,855 kilograms). The payload includes materials for producing semiconductor crystals in space, equipment for improving cryogenic fuel tanks, a specialized UV light system to combat microbial growth in water systems, and supplies for pharmaceutical crystal production potentially used in cancer treatment.

The Cygnus XL has been named the S.S. William Willie McCool, honoring the NASA astronaut who perished in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. It is scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Wednesday, September 17th, at 6:35 a.m. EDT. Unlike autonomous docking procedures, the Cygnus will be captured and grappled by the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. NASA will stream the arrival live, starting at 5:00 a.m. EDT.

The S.S. William Willie McCool will remain attached to the orbiting laboratory until March 2026, after which it will be intentionally deorbited to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. This contrasts with SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which is recovered and refurbished for reuse after making a parachute-assisted ocean splashdown.

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