Overview

• A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 6:11 p.m. ET carrying Northrop Grumman’s NG-23 Cygnus XL, and first-stage booster B1094 returned to Landing Zone 2 for its fourth successful flight.
• Cygnus XL, named S.S. William C. “Willie” McCool, is a stretched variant with about 33% more capacity and is delivering more than 11,000 pounds of food, science and station supplies.
• The freighter is tracking a Wednesday, Sept. 17 rendezvous for Canadarm2 grapple and berthing to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
• Cargo includes key spares and research, such as an IDA planar reflector, urine processor components, air selector valves, and TransAstra’s inflatable Capture Bag debris‑capture test.
• The mission is slated to remain attached into early 2026 with a brief unberth later this year to clear Soyuz traffic, as Northrop Grumman continues flying Cygnus on Falcon 9 following NG-22’s shipping damage and during Antares 330 development.