WASHINGTON — Falcon 9 launches a Cygnus cargo spacecraft April 11, as Northrop Grumman continues its reliance on a competitor to fly resupply missions to the International Space Station.
Falcon 9 lifted off at 7:41 a.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch, originally scheduled for 8 April, was delayed due to weather conditions at the launch site.
The Falcon 9 upper stage deployed the NG-24 Cygnus XL spacecraft into low Earth orbit about 15 minutes after liftoff. Named after a former NASA astronaut who died in 2014, the SS Steven R. The spacecraft, named Nagel, is scheduled to arrive at the ISS on April 13, with the station’s robotic arm working to maneuver the spacecraft into the station’s Unity module at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern.
The NG-24 mission is the fourth consecutive Cygnus launch on a Falcon 9 to support Northrop’s Commercial Replenishment Services, or CRS, contract with NASA. Northrop Grumman originally planned to use three Falcon 9 launches to bridge the gap after retiring its Antares 230+ rocket in 2023, using Russian and Ukrainian components, while working with Firefly Aerospace on a new version, the Antares 330, a precursor to the larger Eclipse rocket.
However, the Antares 330, once planned for launch in late 2024, is still in development. In an earnings call last month, Jason Kim, Firefly’s chief executive, said the company expected to ship the first stage it is building for launch to Northrop later this year, which would integrate it with its own upper stage. However, he did not provide any schedule for that launch.
Northrop hopes to launch at least one more Cygnus mission on a Falcon 9. “The NG-25 will be on the Falcon 9, and we will continue to ensure that launch vehicle flexibility will be in place until our Antares 330 is ready,” a Northrop spokesperson told SpaceNews on April 7.
NG-24 was the second flight of the Cygnus XL, a larger version of the Cygnus spacecraft with a payload capacity of 5,000 kg. NASA said the spacecraft was at full capacity, carrying 2,120 kilograms of vehicle hardware, 1,410 kilograms of crew supplies and 1,075 kilograms of science probes. The remainder was devoted to spacewalk equipment and computer resources.
The first Cygnus XL mission, NG-23, was launched last September after the Cygnus spacecraft, intended for the NG-22 mission scheduled to launch in early 2025, was damaged during shipment to the launch site. NASA and Northrop decided not to launch NG-22.
However, the company says it still plans to fly an NG-22 mission at some point. “Production of the NG-22 pressurized cargo module is underway, and we are working closely with NASA on updated mission timing,” a company spokesperson said on April 7.
Breaking with standard practices on other CRS missions, NASA did not hold a prelaunch mission or science briefing. Such briefings provide an overview of the mission and science and an opportunity to discuss issues with NASA and industry representatives. NASA gave no reason for skipping the briefing, which could have overlapped with the Artemis 2 mission, which took up many of the agency’s public affairs resources.
It also meant that NASA officials were not available to discuss potential changes to ISS operations, including the pace of future cargo resupply missions. NASA’s fiscal year 2027 budget request released April 3 cuts about $1.1 billion from the $3 billion allocated in 2026 for ISS operations, including crewed and cargo missions. This could impact the number of cargo missions and potentially lead to a reduction in the four-person crew on the American segment of the station.
NASA said in its budget documents, “The number of cargo missions supported by the budget affects the amount of crewed supplies and research flown to the ISS. A reduced crew supply could reduce the number of crews on the ISS.” “The ISS will continue to monitor crew supply to determine the appropriate crew size that can be maintained with available cargo vehicles.”
