SpaceX launches huge 'Cygnus XL' cargo ship carrying over 5 tons of supplies to ISS astronauts (video)

SpaceX launched launch a massive cargo ship packed with over 5 tons of gear for astronauts on the International Space Station early Saturday, then aced a rocket landing minutes after the Florida liftoff.

A black and white SpaceX rocket launches into a blue sky with NG-24. — 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. (Image credit: NASA/SpaceX)

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.

"This Cygnus spacecraft 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 said.

NASA&rsquo;s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 24 spacecraft is named in honor of NASA astronaut Steven Nagel. — 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. (Image credit: NASA)

Nagel, an Air Force test pilot, served as a NASA astronaut in from 1979 to 1995 and flew on four shuttle missions. His first flight was as a mission specialist, then he flew as pilot and commanded his final two missions. Nagel died in 2014 at the age 67 after a long illness, according to NASA.

Nagel'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: The original version of the freighter, which flew more than 20 missions to the ISS, maxed out at about 8,500 pounds (3,856 kg) of payload.

Saturday's launch was the second flight of the Cygnus XL to date. The first one launched last September, also atop a SpaceX Falcon 9. It stayed attached to the ISS for six months, departing on March 12 to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. The mission profile is roughly the same for this second Cygnus XL.

A sooty black and white SpaceX rocket lands back on Earth after launching NG-24. — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket first stage booster returns to Earth to land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida after launching the NG-24 cargo mission for NASA and Northrop Grumman on April 11, 2026. It was the seventh flight for the booster. (Image credit: NASA/SpaceX)

The mission was also the seventh flight for the SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage that propelled the cargo ship toward orbit. It returned to Earth about 8 minutes after liftoff to make a smooth landing at a SpaceX pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The booster launched Northrop Grumman's previous cargo fligth NG-23, NASA's Crew-11 astronaut flight, the Axiom Space Ax-4 astronaut flight and three Starlink missions, according to a SpaceX description.

Just over 14 minutes after liftoff, the NG-24 Cygnus XL cargo ship separted from the Falcon 9 upper stage to entire its initial orbit. It should deploy its solar arrays about one hour after liftoff to continue its journey to the ISS.

A huge cylindrical NG-24 spacecraft separates from its SpaceX rocket high above Earth. — The Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo ship S.S. Steven Nagel heads into space after launching into orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on April 11, 2026. (Image credit: NASA/SpaceX)

The Northrop Grumman vehicle is one of four robotic cargo spacecraft that service the ISS, along with Japan's HTV-X, Russia's Progress and SpaceX's Dragon.

Dragon is the only one of these freighters that's reusable. The other three will die fiery deaths in Earth's atmosphere when their time in orbit is up.

Michael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.