A new extra-large spacecraft loaded with junk prepares to meet its fiery death in Earth’s atmosphere in this image from the International Space Station.
What is it?
In this screenshot from one of the live cameras aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the new Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo ship is ejected from the station.
Cygnus XL arrived at the ISS on September 18, 2025carrying about 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) of supplies for the astronauts aboard the station, making it the largest cargo spacecraft ever to arrive at the orbital laboratory.
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After docking at the station for seven months, the Cygnus XL was released from the bunk on the Earth-facing port of the ISS’s Unity module on Thursday (March 12) as it hovers over the South Atlantic. It will now enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, carrying thousands of kilograms of junk produced on the ISS, according to NASA.
Why is it amazing?
Images like this are a reminder of the overwhelming technological achievement that is The International Space Station.
The ISS measures about 356 feet (109 meters) end-to-end and weighs close to 925,000 pounds (420 tons) and orbits the Earth at a speed of 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h), or about
Even at such an altitude and orbital speed, cargo spacecraft such as the Cygnus XL – not to mention manned spacecraft such as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon — routine launch from the surface and docking with the orbital laboratory.
The ISS is currently planned to be deorbited into a spacecraft graveyardin the Pacific around 2030, although some US lawmakers want to see operations extended to 2032 while commercial replacements are still being developed.
