Cygnus XL Spacecraft to Depart Station, Live on NASA+

Live coverage of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft departing the International Space Station is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. The spacecraft’s release is scheduled for 7:05 a.m. EDT. Flight controllers will send commands for the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach Cygnus XL 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. Cygnus XL will be commanded to deorbit on Saturday, March 14, to dispose of several thousand pounds of trash during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will harmlessly burn up. The spacecraft launched in September 2025 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This mission was the first flight of the larger, more cargo-capable version of the solar-powered spacecraft, named the S.S.

United States, Cape Canaveral, Florida

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