When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.Credit: NASA/SpaceXSpaceX launched launch a massive cargo ship packed with over 5 tons of gear for astronauts on the International Space Station early Saturday (April 11), then aced a rocket landing minutes after the Florida liftoff.A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soared into a blue sky over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 7:41 a.m. EDT (1141 GMT) on Saturday, sending Northrop Grumman’s “Cygnus XL” resupply freighter toward the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, called NG-24, is Northrop Grumman’s 24th resupply flight to the ISS for NASA.AdvertisementAdvertisement”And liftoff! Science and supplies soaring to the International Space Station aboard the S.S. Steven R. Nagel,” NASA spokesperson Sandra Jones said during live commentary.A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches into orbit carrying the huge Cygnus XL NG-24 cargo ship for Northrop Grumman from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida to deliver 11,000 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station on April 11, 2026. | Credit: NASA/SpaceX”This Cygnus spacecraft is named the S.S. Steven R. Nagel in honor of the astronaut who flew four space shuttle missions and logged more than 720 hours in space,” Jones added.The robotic Cygnus XL will arrive at the ISS on Monday (April 13), when it will be grappled by the orbiting lab’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. That capture is scheduled for 12:50 p.m. EDT (1650 GMT), NASA said.NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 24 spacecraft is named in honor of NASA astronaut Steven Nagel, who flew on four shuttle missions, commanded two of them and flew for NASA from 1979 to 1995. He died in 2014. | Credit: NASANagel, an Air Force test pilot, served as a NASA astronaut from 1979 to 1995. His first flight was as a mission specialist; he then flew once as a pilot and twice as a commander. Nagel died in 2014 at the age 67 after a long illness, according to NASA.AdvertisementAdvertisementNagel’s namesake Cygnus XL freighter will deliver about 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) of science equipment and supplies to the astronauts aboard the station. That load-carrying capacity explains Cygnus XL’s name: Th …
