International Space Station NASA’s Cygnus XL spacecraft is on final approach to the International Space Station (ISS), carrying over 11,000 pounds of scientific equipment and supplies for the orbiting laboratory. The mission, designated Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 (CRS-23), launched on September 14 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The spacecraft is scheduled to be captured at approximately 7:18 a.m. EDT by NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, with assistance from astronaut Zena Cardman. Following capture, Cygnus will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port, where its cargo will be unloaded over the coming days.

Earlier in the mission, Cygnus experienced an unexpected engine shutdown during two orbit-raising maneuvers on September 16, prompting NASA and Northrop Grumman to delay its arrival while engineers assessed an alternate approach. The issue was traced to a conservative software safeguard, and the spacecraft has since been cleared for docking.

Live coverage of the capture and installation is available on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and across NASA’s social media platforms.