SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the NG-24 mission. The spacecraft, named the 'S.S. Steven R. Nagel', carried over 5 metric tons) of essential supplies, scientific experiments, and hardware for the Expedition 74 crew, marking the second flight of the enhanced Cygnus XL variant.

"And liftoff! Science and supplies soaring to the International Space Station aboard the S.S. Steven R. Nagel," NASA spokesperson Sandra Jones said during live commentary.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster(B1094) executed a flawless landing back at Cape Canaveral, completing its seventh flight. Cygnus XL was scheduled to arrive at the ISS on April 13, 2026, where it would be captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm and berthed to the Unity module's Earth-facing port.

The Cygnus XL represents a significant upgrade, featuring a 20% increase in pressurized cargo volume compared to previous models, with a pressurized cargo module measuring 7.89 meters in length and a total capacity of 36 cubic meters.

The cargo manifest includes 1,410 kg of crew supplies, 1,075 kg of science investigations, 65 kg of spacewalk equipment, 2,120 kg of vehicle hardware, and 330 kg of computer resources.

Notable payloads include a new module for the Cold Atom Laboratory, hardware for biological research, a radio receiver for observing the ionosphere, the ClimCam climate camera (developed by Kenya, Egypt, and Uganda), and the LEOPARDSat-1 CubeSat to test radiation-blocking carbon sheeting.

This mission is part of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract and is the fourth and final Cygnus launch on a Falcon 9, following the retirement of Northrop Grumman's Antares 230+ rocket in 2023 due to supply chain disruptions caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The S.S. Steven R. Nagel honors Steven R. Nagel, a NASA astronaut who flew four Space Shuttle missions and logged over 720 hours in space before his death in 2014.

Like all Cygnus spacecraft, the XL is a one-way vehicle; after its mission, it will be loaded with station waste, detached, and perform a controlled de-orbit maneuver to burn up safely in Earth's atmosphere. This is unlike the SpaceX cargo Dragon which is reusable.

The Artemis II crew successfully completed a historic 10-day mission around the Moon, splashing down at 0007 UTC on April 10, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

The Orion spacecraft traveled 694,481 miles (1,117,659 km), reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth—surpassing the Apollo 13 record by over 4,000 miles—and returned safely after a 6-minute communication blackout during re-entry at speeds near 25,000 mph.

The four astronauts—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen—became the first humans since Apollo 17 in 1970 to travel to the Moon and return.

Despite technical challenges—including repeated toilet malfunctions requiring in-flight repairs—the crew conducted critical tests on life support systems, radiation detectors, and next-generation spacesuits, all vital for future lunar landings. They also observed a 53-minute solar eclipse and captured unprecedented images of the Moon’s far side.

Following splashdown early Saturday, the crew was extracted via an inflatable “front porch” raft, medically assessed, and transported by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha, before heading to Johnson Space Center in Houston for further evaluations and family reunions.

This mission marked several historic firsts: Koch is the first woman, Glover the first black person, and Hansen the first non-American to orbit the Moon. The crew spent 9 days, 1 hour, and 32 minutes in space, officially counted as 10 days because launch day was designated as Flight Day 1.

President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney both praised the mission as a spectacular success, reaffirming global unity in space exploration.

The U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump on Truth Social, contingent on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump wrote the ceasefire was a "double sided CEASEFIRE" because the U.S. had "already met and exceeded all Military objectives," and called Iran’s 10-point peace proposal a "workable basis on which to negotiate." The deal, mediated by Pakistan, was announced late Tuesday, just hours before Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the strait or face devastating strikes.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed the agreement, stating: _"If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations. For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces." The country is reportedly charging a toll before each vessel can sail through the strait, paid in bitcoin to bypass US-imposed sanctions.

Iran pointed out the ceasefire included Lebanon, but Israel and the U.S. rejected this, with Trump calling Lebanon a "separate skirmish." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the ceasefire did not cover Lebanon, where as part of its 'Operation Eternal Darkness,' Israel launched over 160 strikes in 10 minutes, killing at least 254 people and injuring 1,165, according to Lebanon’s Civil Defense.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the U.S. and Israel of violating the ceasefire, citing three breaches: continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon, an alleged drone incursion into Iranian airspace (a Hermes-900 drone shot down in Fars province), and U.S. refusal to accept Iran’s right to uranium enrichment.

Iran temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to the Lebanon strikes, threatening the deal’s stability. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif initially claimed the ceasefire applied "everywhere including Lebanon," but the U.S. and Israel contradicted this, with Vice President JD Vance stating Iran had "misunderstood" the terms.

Peace talks are scheduled to begin in Islamabad on Saturday.

Meanwhile early Thurday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "All U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with. If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the "Shootin' Starts," bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before. It was agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE. In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!"