Cygnus XL Cargo Ship to Launch Nov. 29 With Cancer Drug-Delivery Experiments for the Space Station
NASA announced that Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch no earlier than 10:49 a.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 29, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, delivering science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. The mission, known as CRS-25, is the company's 25th resupply flight to the station under contract with NASA.
Following launch, astronauts aboard the station will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture Cygnus and install it to the Earth-facing port of the Unity module for cargo unloading. The spacecraft will remain at the station until May 2027.
In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Cygnus will deliver several new experiments, including hardware to manufacture tiny DNA-inspired particles in space that could improve drug delivery for cancer and osteoarthritis, a study that could guide cancer treatments by predicting whether a patient's cancer is likely to spread, human muscle cells and medications to test therapeutics for muscle loss associated with spaceflight and aging on Earth, and a compact radiation sensor designed to improve crew safety on future missions.
Each resupply mission delivers investigations in biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development to the orbital laboratory, where people have lived and worked continuously for 26 years. Media accreditation for the launch is now open, with applications from U.S. citizens due by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 12. (Source: NASA)
Source: NASA
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：国际空间站。美国国家航空航天局（NASA）。 / Photo: The International Space Station. NASA.
