The first Cygnus XL capsule is pictured separating from its Falcon 9 launcher on Sept. 14, 2025. Credit: NASA/SpaceX webcast
The arrival of the first Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo capsule to the International Space Station was delayed Tuesday after the main thruster “stopped earlier than planned” during a firing to raise the orbit of the capsule, NASA said in a news release.
“The Cygnus XL will not arrive to the space station on Wednesday, Sept. 17, as originally planned, with a new arrival date and time under review,” NASA said in the announcement, which was posted online around 6 p.m. Eastern.
The issue occurred roughly 48 hours into the capsule’s three-day journey, which began Sunday when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Cygnus to orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Flight controllers are evaluating an alternate thruster burn plan to raise the orbit so that it matches that of the ISS for rendezvous, NASA said. The capsule is to deliver 5,000 kilograms of scientific investigations and supplies to the orbiting laboratory for NASA. All other Cygnus systems are performing normally, according to the release.
Plans had called for astronaut Jonny Kim to capture the Cygnus XL on Wednesday using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm and then attach it to the Unity module. After capture, the spacecraft is to remain at the space station until March.
The flight, Northrop Grumman CRS-23, carries dozens of research experiments, including materials to produce semiconductor crystals in space, equipment to develop improvements for cryogenic fuel tanks and supplies to produce pharmaceutical crystals that could treat cancer and other diseases. Also on board is a specialized ultraviolet light system to prevent the growth of microbe communities that form in water.
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