Cygnus XL Spacecraft Departing International Space Station Soon

Live coverage of the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft's release from the ISS is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

Published on Mar. 12, 2026

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Northrop Grumman's uncrewed Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft is set to depart the International Space Station on March 12, 2026. The spacecraft will be released from the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm and commanded to deorbit on March 14 to dispose of several thousand pounds of trash during re-entry.

Why it matters

The departure of the Cygnus XL marks the successful completion of another cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The larger, more cargo-capable version of the Cygnus spacecraft represents an important upgrade to Northrop Grumman's space logistics capabilities.

The details

Flight controllers on the ground will send commands for the space station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach the Cygnus XL spacecraft from the Unity module's Earth-facing port and maneuver it into position for release. ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will monitor Cygnus' systems as it departs. The Cygnus XL spacecraft launched in September 2025 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

  • The Cygnus XL spacecraft's release is scheduled for 7:05 a.m. EDT on March 12, 2026.
  • Cygnus XL will be commanded to deorbit on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

The players

Northrop Grumman

An American aerospace and defense technology company that built the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft.

Sophie Adenot

An ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut who will monitor the Cygnus XL spacecraft's systems as it departs the International Space Station.

William 'Willie' McCool

A NASA astronaut who perished in the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident, after whom the Cygnus XL spacecraft was named.

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What’s next

The Cygnus XL spacecraft will be commanded to deorbit on Saturday, March 14, 2026, to dispose of several thousand pounds of trash during its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

The takeaway

The departure of the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft marks another successful resupply mission to the International Space Station, showcasing the increased capabilities of Northrop Grumman's space logistics services.