Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation ("NGSC") hereby submits this request for extension of Special Temporary Authority (“STA”) issued under Call Sign WX9XKA (File No. 0881-EX-ST-2024) for the NG-21 Cygnus spacecraft mission. Due to anticipated changes to the date of spacecraft departure from the ISS, NGSC is requesting an extension to April 1, 2025 to account for the additional operating time prior to re-entry.The existing temporary authorization is set to expire on January 30, 2025. The Cygnus spacecraft was originally scheduled to depart from the ISS on January 20, 2025 with re-entry planned two days later. Due to ISS scheduling constraints and changes, the original departure date is no longer expected to be met, and Cygnus will remain attached to the ISS past the expiration date of the current STA. To allow for the continued operation of Cygnus while berthed to the ISS after January 30, 2025 and the subsequent departure and re-entry operations, NGSC is requesting an STA extension to ensure the Cygnus spacecraft is licensed for the duration of these operations.
