NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 8:49 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 8, for the next launch delivering science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station.
Filled with approximately 11,000 pounds of cargo, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission is known as NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 24, or Northrop Grumman CRS-24.
Watch the agency’s launch and arrival coverage on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.
Following launch, astronauts aboard the space station will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture the Cygnus XL on Friday, April 10, before ground controllers install it to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading.
Highlights of space station research and technology demonstrations being delivered aboard this Cygnus XL spacecraft include:
- A new module for the Cold Atom Lab to advance quantum science that could improve computing technology and aid in the search for dark matter
- Hardware to produce a greater number of therapeutic stem cells for blood diseases and cancer
- Model organisms to study the gut microbiome
- A receiver that could enhance space weather models that protect critical space infrastructure such as GPS and radar
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Media interested in speaking to a science subject matter expert should contact Sandra Jones at sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov.
The spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the orbiting laboratory until October before departing with several thousand pounds of trash and burning up harmlessly during re-entry.
Northrop Grumman named the spacecraft the S.S. Steven R. Nagel in honor of the former NASA astronaut who flew four space shuttle missions, logging more than 720 hours in space.
NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern; subject to change based on real-time operations):
Wednesday, April 8
8:30 a.m.: Launch coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.
8:49 a.m.: Launch
Friday, April 10
12:30 a.m.: Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.
1:10 a.m.: Capture
NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 8:30 a.m. April 8 as the countdown milestones occur.
On-demand streaming video on NASA+ and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our International Space Station blog for updates.
Attend launch virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.
Watch, engage on social media
Let people know you’re watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts:
X: @NASA, @NASASpaceOps, @NASAKennedy, @Space_Station, @ISS_CASIS
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab
Learn more about the mission at:
