A Northrop Grumman uncrewed spacecraft packed with supplies has suffered an engine issue, temporarily preventing it from reaching the International Space Station (ISS)
The spacecraft, known as Cygnus XL, blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on September 14, 2025, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
However, on September 16, 2025, the resupply spacecraft’s main engine “stopped earlier than planned during two burns designed to raise its orbit for rendezvous with the space station”.
In response to the setback NASA said that flight controllers are evaluating an “alternate burn plan” for Cygnus XL.
According to the space agency, 11,000 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo are due to be delivered to ISS.
Falcon 9 launches @NorthropGrumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft to the @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/S0ekzxOkYg
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 15, 2025
The original plan involves NASA astronaut Jonny Kim capturing Cygnus XL using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm with backup support from Zena Cardman.
After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port and will remain at the space station until March 2026.
“The Cygnus XL will not arrive at the space station on Wednesday, Sept. 17, as originally planned, with a new arrival date and time under review,” said a spokesperson for NASA.
NASA added that all other Cygnus XL systems are performing normally.
In 2024, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner capsule also suffered from thruster issues while travelling to ISS.
After eventually docking with the ISS, it was decided that the capsule should return to Earth without its crew out of an abundance of caution.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were on a week-long mission but remained at the space station for over three months. They returned on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
