NASA Cygnus Begins Its Return from the ISS

NASA has announced that Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, which delivered over 8,200 pounds of supplies, scientific materials, and hardware to the International Space Station (ISS), is now preparing for its departure. This uncrewed spacecraft is scheduled to detach from the ISS on March 28, 2025. NASA will provide live coverage of the event on NASA+ starting at 6:30 a.m. EDT.

To separate Cygnus from the ISS’s Unity module, the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm will be used. Ground controllers will command its release at 6:55 a.m. EDT, with NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers monitoring the spacecraft’s systems during the process. This mission marks Northrop Grumman’s 21st commercial resupply mission to the ISS for NASA.

The ISS crew has loaded Cygnus with trash, and on March 30, it will be commanded to deorbit. The spacecraft will then re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up safely, a standard method for disposing of space debris.

According to NASA, Cygnus launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in August 2024 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, arriving at the ISS on August 6. Nearly eight months later, it is now completing its journey.

NASA will share the latest updates, images, and videos from this mission on its blog, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Space enthusiasts can tune into the live broadcast on NASA+ to witness the event.