21 November 2025 a notice was published, in which it is stated, that NASA will contract with sole supplier Northrop Grumman (of) on two Cygnus missions. These missions are scheduled for 2028 and 2029 years under the current Commercial Resupply Services contract 2 (CRS-2).
NASA justified its decision to choose NG over SpaceX, of another CRS-2 contractor, due to specific technical requirements. The Cygnus spacecraft uses a docking approach to the ISS, while SpaceX's Dragon docks directly. The arrival of the United States Deorbit Vehicle later this decade complicates docking, as it will occupy one of the docking ports for at least a year before the de-orbit operation. As the other docking port is reserved for commercial manned vehicles, Cargo Dragon missions may experience limitations, and a Cygnus with a robotic arm to attach to the docking port will have no such problems. in addition, Cygnus offers the following capabilities, like debris disposal and orbit raising.
In addition to the contract with NASA, Cygnus is also being considered for an award from the European Space Agency (THIS). 3 In October of this year, the agency published proposals for commercial freight services, which include delivery from 4900 to 5000 kilograms of cargo on the ISS to
2028 year. This cargo will cover ESA's share of the cost of joint system operations for the ISS, thanks to which the agency intends to purchase commercial cargo delivery services to the ISS. This will ensure strategic parity, which will enable ESA astronauts to fly and use the ISS, and will also expand European potential in logistics in low Earth orbit.
Source: https://spacenews.com