International Space Station NASA’s Expedition 73 crew is gearing up for the arrival of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft, which is currently orbiting Earth en route to the International Space Station (ISS). The vessel is packed with more than 11,000 pounds of scientific equipment, supplies, and experiments.

NASA astronauts Jonny Kim and Zena Cardman will be stationed in the cupola module to capture Cygnus using the Canadarm2 robotic arm at approximately 6:35 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. The duo spent Tuesday rehearsing rendezvous procedures and robotic maneuvers to ensure a smooth capture.

The cargo includes cutting-edge experiments focused on semiconductor crystal manufacturing, UV-based spacecraft disinfection, cancer drug production, and cryogenic fluid tank development. The crew also held a briefing with fellow flight engineers Mike Fincke (NASA) and Kimiya Yui (JAXA) to review mission details and unloading plans.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Progress 93 cargo ship, which docked on Saturday, continues to be unpacked by cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, delivering three tons of food, fuel, and supplies. Roscosmos engineer Oleg Platonov conducted physics experiments on complex plasmas and captured Earth imagery of glaciers and mountains across South America and Africa.