Cygnus NG-24

NG-24

The NG‑24 spacecraft spacecraft is held in the grips of the Canadarm2
Names	CRS NG-24
Mission type	ISS resupply
Operator	Northrop Grumman
COSPAR ID	2026-079A
SATCAT no.	68689
Mission duration	183 days, 12 hours and 18 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	S.S. Steven R. Nagel
Spacecraft type	Cygnus XL
Manufacturer	Northrop Grumman Thales Alenia Space
Start of mission
Launch date	April 11, 2026, 11:41:21  UTC (7:41:21 am  EDT)
Rocket	Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1094‑7)
Launch site	Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40
Contractor	SpaceX
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Decay date	October 12, 2026 [1]
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	51.66°
Berthing at ISS
Berthing port	Unity nadir
RMS capture	April 13, 2026, 17:20 UTC
Berthing date	April 13, 2026, 20:00 UTC
Unberthing date	October 9, 2026
RMS release	October 9, 2026, 16:44 UTC
Time berthed	178 days and 4 hours
Cargo
Mass	5,000 kg (11,020 lb) [2]
Mission patch Commercial Resupply Services ←  Cygnus NG-23 SpaceX CRS-34  → Cygnus flights ←  NG-23 NG-25  →

NG-24 was a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. ^{[3] [4]} Operated by Northrop Grumman and flying aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, the mission launched on April 11, 2026, at 11:41 UTC from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40. ^{[5] [6]}

The spacecraft was named the S.S. Steven R. Nagel . ^[7] Following NG-23, the mission is the second to use the Cygnus XL spacecraft configuration, featuring a pressurized cargo module measuring 7.89 meters (25.9 ft) in length, with a payload capacity of 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb) and a pressurized cargo volume of 36 cubic metres (1,300 cu ft). ^[8]

It was the fourth Cygnus launch on a Falcon 9, arranged after Northrop Grumman's Antares 230+ was retired in 2023 due to supply chain disruptions stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ^[9]

Background

Main article: Cygnus (spacecraft)

The Cygnus cargo spacecraft was developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation with partial funding from NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. It pairs a pressurized cargo module built by Thales Alenia Space—derived from the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module used on the Space Shuttle—with a service module based on Orbital's GEOStar satellite bus.

The first Standard Cygnus flew in 2013, followed by the larger Enhanced Cygnus in 2015. Orbital Sciences became Orbital ATK in 2015 and was acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2018. Since then, Northrop Grumman has continued CRS operations. NG-24 is the twelfth Cygnus mission under the CRS-2 contract. ^[10]

Manifest

Technicians conduct prelaunch operations on the cargo module of the NG‑24 spacecraft

The Cygnus spacecraft was loaded with a total of 5,000 kilograms (11,020 lb) of cargo and supplies before its launch.

The cargo manifest is broken down as follows: ^[2]

• Crew supplies: 1,410 kg (3,108 lb)
• Science investigations: 1,075 kg (2,369 lb)
• Spacewalk equipment: 65 kg (143 lb)
• Vehicle hardware: 2,120 kg (4,673 lb)
• Computer resources: 330 kg (727 lb)

NASA highlighted several research projects being delivered to the ISS on this mission. These included a new module for the Cold Atom Laboratory, hardware and model organisms for biological research, and a radio receiver for observing the ionosphere. ^[11]

The mission included bringing ClimCam (Climate Camera) to the ISS, attached to the Bartolomeo platform of the Columbus External Payload Facility. Developed by the Kenya Space Agency, the Egyptian Space Agency, and the Uganda national space program, the ClimCam Payload will be used for climate and weather observation in East Africa. ^[12]

NG-24 also carried 6 CubeSats developed as part of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative including; Coconut (ASU), HUCSat (Harvard), LEOPARDSat-1 (Cincinnati), and three satellites for the Pleiades Rapid Orbital Verification Experiment System (PROVES). ^[13]

Mission

Composite image of NG-24 launch from SLC-40 and subsequent booster landing at LZ-40, capturing both events 8 minutes apart

The Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM) was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, and assembly of the service module for the NG-24 spacecraft took place at Northrop Grumman's facility in Dulles, Virginia. ^[10] Thales Alenia Space shared that the PCM had left their clean room bound for the Kennedy Space Center on January 30, 2026. ^[14] The spacecraft was launched on April 11, 2026, at 11:41 UTC. ^{[5] [6]}

See also

• Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station
• Fluorescent Deep Space Petri-Pod

References

1. Taveau, Jessica. "NASA to Cover Northrop Grumman CRS-24 Spacecraft Departure - NASA" . Retrieved October 6, 2026.
2. Garcia, Mark A. (April 6, 2026). "NASA's Northrop Grumman CRS-24 Mission Overview". NASA. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
3. Tribou, Richard (April 2, 2026). "Space Coast launch schedule". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
4. Dodson, Gerelle Q. (March 6, 2026). "NASA Invites Media to Northrop Grumman CRS-24 Station Resupply Launch". NASA. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
5. "SpaceX launches huge 'Cygnus XL' cargo ship carrying over 5 tons of supplies to ISS astronauts (video)". Space. April 11, 2026. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
6. Davenport, Justin (April 11, 2026). "Falcon 9 launches CRS NG-24 cargo ship to ISS". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
7. "NASA Commercial Resupply Mission NG-24". Northrop Grumman. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
8. Foust, Jeff (August 3, 2023). "Northrop Grumman planning Cygnus upgrades". SpaceNews. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
9. "CRS NG-24 Mission". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
10. "Cygnus Spacecraft". Northrop Grumman. January 6, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
11. Taveau, Jessica (April 3, 2026). "NASA Sets Coverage for Northrop Grumman's CRS-24 Resupply Launch". NASA. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
12. Gichigi, James (April 3, 2026). "ClimCam: Kenya, Egypt and Uganda's climate camera heads to space". The Star . Retrieved April 3, 2026.
13. Lockhart, Leejay. "NASA Launches Six CubeSats to International Space Station". NASA . Retrieved April 28, 2026.
14. Thales Alenia Space [@Thales_Alenia_S] (January 30, 2026). "A step closer to the #SpaceStation: The NG-24 Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module left our clean room in Turin and is on its way to the Kennedy Space Center, where Northrop Grumman will complete final preparations to make it ready for space. @NASA @thalesgroup @LDO_Space @ALTECSpace" (Tweet). Retrieved February 2, 2026– via X (formerly Twitter).

External links

• Cygnus NG-24 – Northrop Grumman website