U.S. Cygnus XL cargo ship moved for Russian Soyuz | International Space Station
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft is pictured in the grips of the International Space Station Canadarm2 robotic arm. Cygnus XL had been temporarily released from its Earth-facing port on the Unity module to make room for the Russian Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft that was scheduled to arrive the next day and dock to the Rassvet module. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) HTV-X1 cargo craft, with its solar arrays deployed, is seen berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module. The orbital outpost was soaring 263 miles above the Pacific Ocean southwest of Galapagos Islands at the time of this photograph.
This close-up view from a window on the International Space Station's cupola shows Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Cygnus XL had been temporarily released from its Earth-facing port on the Unity module to make room for the Russian Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft, which was scheduled to arrive the next day and dock to the Rassvet module. A solar array belonging to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) HTV-X1 cargo craft extends across the frame.
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft is pictured in the grips of the International Space Station Canadarm2 robotic arm. Cygnus XL had been temporarily released from its Earth-facing port on the Unity module to make room for the Russian Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft, which was scheduled to arrive the next day and dock to the Rassvet module. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) HTV-X1 cargo craft, with its solar arrays deployed, is seen berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module. The orbital outpost was soaring 263 miles above the Pacific Ocean southwest of Galapagos Islands at the time of this photograph.
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft is pictured in the grips of the International Space Station Canadarm2 robotic arm. Cygnus XL had been temporarily released from its Earth-facing port on the Unity module to make room for the Russian Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft, which was scheduled to arrive the next day and dock to the Rassvet module. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) HTV-X1 cargo craft, with its solar arrays deployed, is seen berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module. The orbital outpost was soaring 261 miles above the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba at the time of this photograph.
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft is pictured in the grips of the International Space Station Canadarm2 robotic arm. Cygnus XL had been temporarily released from its Earth-facing port on the Unity module to make room for the Russian Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft, which was scheduled to arrive the next day and dock to the Rassvet module. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) HTV-X1 cargo craft, with its solar arrays deployed, is seen berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module. The orbital outpost was soaring 262 miles above the Caribbean Sea east of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft is pictured in the grips of the International Space Station Canadarm2 robotic arm. Cygnus XL had been temporarily released from its Earth-facing port on the Unity module to make room for the Russian Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft, which was scheduled to arrive the next day and dock to the Rassvet module. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) HTV-X1 cargo craft, with its solar arrays deployed, is seen berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module. The orbital outpost was soaring 262 miles above the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba at the time of this photograph.
The United States Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft is pictured in the grips of the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm. Cygnus XL was temporarily released from its Earth-facing port on the Unity module to make room for the Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft that was scheduled to arrive the next day and dock to the Rassvet module. The Cygnus XL spacecraft, supporting the Northrop Grumman-23 commercial resupply services mission for NASA, was uninstalled on November 25, 2025, from the International Space Station. It remained attached to the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm until Monday, December 1. This cleared the way for the arrival of the crewed Roscosmos (Russian) Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft.
The Cygnus XL spacecraft, supporting the Northrop Grumman-23 commercial resupply services mission for NASA, was removed by the robotics officer at the agency’s Mission Control Center in Houston using the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. The Cygnus XL movement was coordinated between NASA, Northrop Grumman, and Roscosmos (Russia) to provide appropriate clearance for the arriving crewed Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft on November 27, 2025. NASA astronauts Jonny Kim and Zena Cardman monitored from inside the International Space Station.
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country in the Caribbean. It comprises 4,195 islands, islets and cays, including the eponymous main island and Isla de la Juventud. Situated at the junction of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean, Cuba is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula, south of both Florida (the United States) and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: Islas Galápagos) are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, 900 km (560 mi) west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador.
Follow Expedition 73:
Expedition 73 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey Ryzhikov (Roscosmos)
JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov, Sergey-Kud Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev
NASA Flight Engineers: Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Chris Williams
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.
Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Image Date: Nov. 25, 2025
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2025
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