Carrying Supplies For ISS Astronauts, NASA's Cygnus XL Spacecraft Suffers Engine Malfunction

NASA's latest cargo mission to the International Space Station was delayed after the Cygnus XL spacecraft experienced engine trouble during its journey. The mishap temporarily delayed the delivery of more than 11,000 pounds of supplies to astronauts aboard the ISS. When the spacecraft's main engine shut down earlier than expected, it was left short of the trajectory needed to rendezvous with the ISS docking system.

The mission, formally designated Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 (CRS-23), was originally set to dock with ISS on Wednesday, September 17th, 2025. However, this date had to be thrown out to give flight controllers enough time to assess the situation and review alternate engine burn plans to make sure the resupply ship could safely reach its destination in the first place. In the end, it was only a day late — the Cygnus XL and its nearly five tons of supplies made it to ISS early the next morning.

What did those 11,000 pounds of supplies contain? Essential materials for research, maintaining the ISS, and various other provisions to support the ISS crew through early 2026. This stuff is priceless to those ISS astronauts, and the loss of it would have been a major blow.

Luckily, shortly after the malfunction, NASA was able to confirm that all other spacecraft systems were functioning normally and that guidance, navigation, and communications were all sound. Still, the early engine cutoff meant the Cygnus XL couldn't possibly meet its initial orbital target.

The Cygnus XL is B-2 Bomber producer Northrop Grumman's newest (and much larger) model of its long-running resupply vehicle. This iteration is designed to carry heavier payloads and remain attached to the station for even longer periods of time. It launched September 14th with the help of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the first flight under NASA's new cargo contract.

Initial investigations suggest the Cygnus XL's malfunction was caused by a software glitch. NASA has plenty of time to figure out how to keep it from happening since the ship is going to stay at the International Space Station for as many as six months while the thousands of pounds of supplies are unloaded. Interestingly enough, the crew will also reload the ship with everything they want to send back to Earth. In other words, trash. Because in space, everyone can hear you scream "litterbug."

For now, the ISS crew is no doubt happy to have all that cargo, which includes food, oxygen, and nitrogen, plus spare parts for the station's waste filtering system that gives them their fresh drinking water. (It's just one of those things about living on the International Space Station.) With this, they can continue their research into the production of semiconductor crystals in space and conditioning cryogenic propellants during long-term space travel.