NASA astronauts capture Cygnus XL cargo craft with robotic arm

The Cygnus XL cargo craft is pictured moments away from being captured with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. (Image: NASA)

A quiet September morning turned eventful on orbit when NASA astronauts Jonny Kim and Zena Cardman worked together to capture Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft. The spacecraft was successfully grappled at 7:24 a.m. EDT using the International Space Station’s robotic Canadarm2.

How will the spacecraft be installed?
Mission controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will take over from here. Using Canadarm2, they will carefully manoeuvre Cygnus XL into its installation position. The spacecraft will then be guided to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port, where it will be securely attached later today.

When can the public watch the installation?
NASA will broadcast coverage of the installation at 9 a.m. across several platforms, including NASA+, Amazon Prime and social media. The agency has highlighted new ways for viewers to access its live content, ensuring global audiences can follow every step of the operation.

What did the mission carry to orbit?
The capture follows the launch of NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 mission. It lifted off on 14 September at 6:11 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Cygnus XL delivered over 11,000 pounds of research equipment, scientific investigations and critical cargo to the orbiting laboratory.