NASA reported on October 9, 2026, that ground controllers used the space station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft from the Earth-facing port of the Unity module and maneuver it into position for release at approximately 12:43 p.m. EDT. NASA astronaut Luke Delaney was monitoring the operation aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Loaded with thousands of pounds of disposal items and other unneeded cargo, Cygnus XL was set to deorbit on Sunday, Oct. 11, and make a destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere, where it was expected to safely burn up. NASA said it would not provide coverage of the deorbit.

The spacecraft launched April 11 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The departure is part of Northrop Grumman's Commercial Resupply Services-24 mission.