The mission, Cygnus NG-21, is the space agency’s 21st commercial ISS resupply mission using the uncrewed Cygnus capsule built by contractor Northrop Grumman, which took over the spacecraft’s development after acquiring manufacturer Orbital ATK in 2018.

Cygnus spacecraft have completed nine missions under the company’s Commercial Resupply Services Phase 2 (CRS-2) contract with NASA and are scheduled for missions through 2026 after the agreement was extended in 2022. The total value of the CRS-2 contracts, which were also awarded to SpaceX and Sierra Space, is capped at $14 billion.

Cygnus’ 21st flight is targeted to launch at 11:28 a.m. EDT on Saturday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft is called the S.S. Richard “Dick” Scobee in honor of the astronaut who died while commanding the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Cygnus will arrive at the orbital laboratory on Monday, where NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick will use the ISS’ robotic arm to capture it with NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps serving as backup.

Carrying more than 8,200 pounds of supplies, the uncrewed spacecraft will launch atop SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket for the second time after Northrop Grumman’s supply of Antares rockets, which rely on parts from Russia and Ukraine, was exhausted.

After docking to the ISS for six months, the expendable capsule in January will depart the space station and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

NASA will host a prelaunch media session on Friday followed by launch coverage on Saturday and arrival coverage on Monday, all of which will be on the agency’s website, app, and YouTube channel.

The Cygnus capsule will carry research materials that will directly support experiments under NASA’s ISS Expeditions 71 and 72.

One test, for example, will use a penny, hex nut, and balloons to demonstrate centripetal force in microgravity. Researchers will also use special machines to produce human tissue and stem cells, test the effects of spaceflight on DNA, and study the movement of gas and liquid through a filter in zero gravity.

In total, the spacecraft will carry nearly 2,800 pounds worth of materials for scientific investigations, as well as 95 pounds worth of spacewalk equipment and two CubeSat satellites to be deployed from the ISS.

Cygnus spacecraft so far have delivered more than 138,000 pounds of equipment, science experiments, and supplies to the space station, according to Northrop Grumman.

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The commercial resupply mission—dubbed “NG-20″—was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket shortly after noon EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

The spacecraft is set to reach the ISS on Thursday, where it will remain attached for six months. During that time, the spacecraft may reboost the station’s orbit to counteract atmospheric drag, according to Northrop Grumman. 

“Cygnus is scheduled for capture at 4:20 a.m. [on Thursday] by the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which will be operated by NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli with assistance from NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara,” NASA said.

It is scheduled to remain attached to the ISS until July, when it is set to depart, disposing of thousands of pounds of debris through its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, NASA said.

• READ MORE: First Commercial Lunar Delivery Mission Ends Before Landing

“This mission reflects Cygnus’ flexibility to launch on a variety of launch vehicles, demonstrating our ability to deliver on our commitments to support NASA’s mission,” Cyrus Dhalla, vice president and general manager of tactical space systems at Northrop Grumman, said in a statement.

Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth and landed at Landing Zone 1, completing our 10th launch and landing of the year pic.twitter.com/MoqpgEt2hg

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 30, 2024

The launch marked the 20th ISS cargo resupply mission for Northrop Grumman, as well as a milestone for SpaceX.

“This is the 10th flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, and four Starlink missions,” SpaceX said. “Following stage separation, Falcon 9 will land at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1).”

On board the spacecraft are supplies and equipment to conduct dozens of NASA experiments, including the first surgical robot on the space station; an orbit reentry platform that collects thermal protection systems data; a 3D cartilage cell culture that maintains healthy cartilage in lower gravity; and a metal 3D printer.

• READ MORE: First All-European Commercial Astronaut Crew Begins Research at Space Station

The Cygnus spacecraft used for the NG-20 mission was named in honor of aerobatic pilot and NASA astronaut Patricia Robertson, who was killed in a private airplane crash before she was able to make her scheduled flight to ISS in 2002.

NASA will stream live coverage of Cygnus arriving at the ISS beginning at 2:45 a.m. EST Thursday. The event will be streamed on NASA+, as well as on the space agency’s website.

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Over extended periods of time, the ISS–which orbits about 250 miles above Earth–drops slightly towards the atmosphere. To avoid an untimely decommission, the station undergoes periodic boosts from visiting spacecraft—namely, Russia’s Progress. That is, until now.

Cygnus performed the reboost amid continuing tensions as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth month. The spacecraft arrived at the ISS in February, onboard Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket, launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

• READ MORE: Future U.S., Russia Cooperation on ISS in the Works

According to NASA, Cygnus increased the station’s altitude using its gimbaled delta velocity engine, which was previously tested during the spacecraft’s ninth resupply mission in 2018. Tuesday’s mission marked Cygnus’ 17th commercial resupply services mission to the ISS.

While not intended as a timely replacement for Progress, Cygnus serves as a tool to reduce NASA’s dependency on Russian space operations. Complete independence from Russian operations, however, may not be possible for the ISS.

“The space station was not designed to be disassembled, and current interdependencies between each segment of the station prevent the U.S. Orbital Segment and Russian Segment from operating independently,” NASA wrote in a Q&A. “Attempts to detach the U.S. Orbital Segment and the Russian Segment would encounter major logistical and safety challenges given the multitude of external and internal connections, the need to control spacecraft attitude and altitude, and software interdependency.”

The interdependency between the U.S. and Russia may not be required past the end of the decade, when the ISS reaches retirement in 2030.

Originally, the ISS was set to retire in 2024, until the Biden administration extended operations until 2030. Last year, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said the extension would allow the continued groundbreaking research between the four space agencies working on the station.

“The International Space Station is a beacon of peaceful international scientific collaboration and for more than 20 years has returned enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit humanity,” Nelson said. “I’m pleased that the Biden-Harris administration has committed to continuing station operations through 2030.”

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It was bolted into place on the International Space Station’s Earth-facing port of the Unity module at 9:42 a.m. EDT. Cygnus will remain at the space station for about three months until the spacecraft departs in November.

The spacecraft’s arrival brings more than 8,200 pounds of research and supplies that will be used to conduct further study.

At 6:07 a.m. EDT on Thursday, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur used the International Space Station’s robotic Canadarm2 to grapple the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet monitored Cygnus systems during its approach.

At the time of capture, the spacecraft was flying about 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Lisbon, Portugal.

Northrop Grumman is a commercial partner for NASA that delivers critical supplies to the space station. This flight marks its 16th cargo mission and fifth under its NASA contract.

The spacecraft launched Tuesday from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

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