A new cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) took flight on Sunday, launching an upgraded Northrop Grumman space freighter aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This launch is significant as it follows the recent arrival of a Russian cargo ship, with the uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft set to reach the ISS early Wednesday.
The Cygnus is loaded with over five tons of essential spare parts, research materials, and crew supplies. Critical items include nitrogen, oxygen, food, and even parts required for functioning systems like the urine processor. “We’re stocking up on these items since we were short over the past year, and we’d like to have a good reserve for the future,” stated Dina Contella, deputy manager of the space station program at the Johnson Space Center.
Among the delivered items are holiday treats designed to make life more enjoyable for the astronauts aboard the station. Contella described some of the more indulgent foods on board, such as clams, oysters, crab, roast turkey, and smoked salmon, along with sweets like candies, cookies, and ice cream. There’s even a unique dish called shakshuka scramble, a breakfast item inspired by a popular recipe from North Africa and the Middle East that features eggs cooked in a spicy sauce.
The Falcon 9 rocket ignited its first stage engines at 6:11 p.m. EDT, producing 1.7 million pounds of thrust to propel itself skyward on a northeasterly path toward the ISS’s orbit. After passing through the lower atmosphere, the first stage successfully detached and returned to Earth, landing at the Space Force Station. This marked SpaceX’s 67th touchdown in Florida and its 505th successful booster recovery overall.
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9’s second stage took over, placing the Cygnus spacecraft into an initial orbit approximately 14 and a half minutes post-launch. If everything proceeds as planned, the Cygnus will rendezvous with the ISS, where it will be captured by the station’s robotic arm on Wednesday morning.
This launch comes just days after a Russian Progress cargo ship docked at the ISS’s aft port, delivering vital resources such as propellant and a new Russian spacesuit. Sunday’s mission was the third of at least four flights booked by Northrop Grumman with SpaceX for cargo delivery as part of its efforts to develop a new booster. Notably, it was the inaugural flight of the Cygnus XL, which has been extended to enhance its cargo capacity.
“We’ve been partnering with Northrop Grumman on this update, and we’re excited that Northrop is ready to deliver this incredibly beneficial increase in capacity,” Contella said. The new Cygnus XL measures about 1.6 meters (5 feet) longer, allowing for an additional 2,600 pounds of cargo compared to previous models.
NASA continues to utilize Cygnus spacecraft and SpaceX’s Dragon for cargo deliveries. As of now, SpaceX has conducted 32 successful Dragon resupply missions, while Northrop Grumman has achieved 21 completed flights. Both companies experienced one in-flight failure each during the early days of the commercial resupply program.
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