Northrop Grumman Cygnus Cargo Craft Departs International Space Station – Thursday, March 12, 2026

An unpiloted Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft for the company’s 23rd commercial resupply services mission for NASA was released from the nadir port of the Unity Module of the International Space Station March 12 by flight controllers on the ground in Houston, Texas. Cygnus launched on Sept. 14 from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Following a deorbit engine firing on March 14, Cygnus will begin a destructive re-entry in which the spacecraft, filled with trash, will harmlessly burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. Join NASA as we go forward to the Moon and on to Mars -- discover the latest on Earth, the Solar System and beyond with a weekly update in your inbox. Subscribe at: https://www.nasa.gov/subscribe