Cygnus XL arrives at ISS with about 5 tons of science gear on CRS-24

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo ship S.S. Steven R. Nagel was grappled by the ISS’s Canadarm2 at 1:20 p.m. EDT on April 13, 2026 and berthed to the Earth-facing port of Unity Node 1 to unload roughly 11,000 pounds (about 5 metric tons) of cargo for Expedition 74. The payload includes quantum science hardware to probe dark matter, equipment to advance stem cell production, a gut microbiome study, and a receiver to help protect GPS/radar systems from space weather. Launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on April 11, this CRS-24 mission will keep the Cygnus XL attached until October.