What happens when you use a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus supply ship? A record-setting resupply mission to the International Space Station.

The first flight of Northrop’s upgraded Cygnus spacecraft, called Cygnus XL, is on its way to the international research lab after launching Sunday evening from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. This mission, known as NG-23, is set to arrive at the ISS early Wednesday with 10,827 pounds (4,911 kilograms) of cargo to sustain the lab and its seven-person crew.

By a sizable margin, this is the heaviest cargo load transported to the ISS by a commercial resupply mission. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will use the space station’s Canadian-built robotic arm to capture the cargo ship on Wednesday, then place it on an attachment port for crew members to open hatches and start unpacking the goodies inside.

A bigger keg

The Cygnus XL spacecraft looks a lot like Northrop’s previous missions to the station. It has a service module manufactured at the company’s factory in Northern Virginia. This segment of the spacecraft provides power, propulsion, and other necessities to keep Cygnus operating in orbit.

The most prominent features of the Cygnus cargo freighter are its circular, fan-like solar arrays and an aluminum cylinder called the pressurized cargo module that bears some resemblance to a keg of beer. This is the element that distinguishes the Cygnus XL from earlier versions of the Cygnus supply ship.

The cargo module is 5.2 feet (1.6 meters) longer on the Cygnus XL. The full spacecraft is roughly the size of two Apollo command modules, according to Ryan Tintner, vice president of civil space systems at Northrop Grumman. Put another way, the volume of the cargo section is equivalent to two-and-a-half minivans.

“The most notable thing on this mission is we are debuting the Cygnus XL configuration of the spacecraft,” Tintner said. “It’s got 33 percent more capacity than the prior Cygnus spacecraft had. Obviously, more may sound like better, but it’s really critical because we can deliver significantly more science, as well as we’re able to deliver a lot more cargo per launch, really trying to drive down the cost per kilogram to NASA.”

Cargo modules for Northrop’s Cygnus spacecraft are built by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, employing a similar design to the one Thales used for several of the space station’s permanent modules. Officials moved forward with the first Cygnus XL mission after the preceding cargo module was damaged during shipment from Italy to the United States earlier this year.

A double dose of ‘Monday Night Football’ kicks off with C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans hosting Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The hosts are looking for their first win of the 2025 NFL season after stumbling in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams 14-9. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers head into NFL Week 2 with a victory under their belts, having held off the Atlanta Falcons 23-20 to start their season. Both teams will be missing a key receiver with Christian Kirk (hamstring) out for Houston and Chris Godwin (foot) out for Tampa Bay.

Kickoff from NRG Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET. Houston is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Buccaneers vs. Texans odds, and the over/under for total points scored is 42.5. The Texans are -146 favorites on the money line (risk $146 to win $100), while the Bucs are +122 underdogs (risk $100 to win $122). Before making any Texans vs. Buccaneers picks, be sure to see what the SportsLine projection model has to say. 

New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets instantly plus over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket:

The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model is on a 33-17 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following its NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.  

Now, the model has zeroed in on Texans vs. Buccaneers. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Buccaneers vs. Texans:

Why the Buccaneers can cover

The Bucs went 10-7-0 ATS last season and have already covered the spread in their first game of the season. They were arguably lucky to get the win in Week 1 since they didn’t generate much yardage, but Mayfield still threw three touchdown passes and rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka shined by catching two of those TDs. Egbuka can help open up the offense by taking some of the attention off of Mike Evans, giving Mayfield options against a Texans defense that allowed 244 passing yards in Week 1. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

Why the Texans can cover

Houston is in a position to rebound after Ka’imi Fairbairn scored all of its Week 1 points with three first-half field goals. Nico Collins can have a bounce-back game by frustrating a Buccaneers defense that allowed the fourth-most passing yards in Week 1 (289 out of 358 yards total). Nick Chubb had 13 carries for 60 yards against the Rams, so he should be firing on all cylinders in his first home game with the Texans. Houston was 7-8-2 ATS in 2024 and covered four times at home. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

New users can also check out the latest FanDuel promo code and get $300 in bonus bets instantly at FanDuel if your $5 bet wins. 

How to make Texans vs. Buccaneers picks

For this NFL Week 2 Monday Night Football game, the model is leaning over the total, and also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. See what it is at SportsLine.

Who wins Buccaneers vs. Texans, and which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texans vs. Buccaneers spread you need to jump, all from the model that is 33-17 on top-rated picks since 2024, and find out.

The second half of tonight’s Monday Night Football doubleheader will feature the Los Angeles Chargers on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Both AFC West rivals opened the season with a win last week; the Chargers spent Week 1 in São Paulo, Brazil, where they beat the Chiefs 27-21, and the Raiders bested the Patriots, 20-13.

Both teams are also entering this season with hopes of ending their title droughts in one of the toughest divisions in the league this year. The Chargers last won the AFC West in 2009, while the Raiders haven’t been atop the division since 2002.

Last season, the Chargers won both meetings by double digits.

While the first game of today’s doubleheader aired on both ESPN and ABC, the second matchup is only on ESPN.

Here’s how to tune in to tonight’s second Monday Night Football matchup without cable, no matter where you live in the USA.

Chargers vs. Raiders time:

Chargers vs. Raiders is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET tonight, Sept. 15.

How to watch Chargers vs. Raiders for free:

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream Monday Night Football for free. One option we love is DIRECTV, which comes with five days free and starts at $29.99/month for genre packs, with plenty of subscription options and genre packs that include both ESPN.

You can also watch Monday Night Football on ESPN’s new DTC streaming service, which costs $29.99/month and includes every Monday Night Football, 24/7 live ESPN, and more.

Is there a ManningCast tonight?

No, there is not a ManningCast this week during Chargers vs. Raiders. Eli and Peyton Manning will return to ESPN2 during next week’s Lions at Ravens Monday Night Football.

Monday Night Football schedule 2025:

All times below are listed in ET.

• Week 2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans – Sept. 15, 7 p.m.
• Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders – Sept. 15, 10 p.m.
• Week 3: Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens – Sept. 22, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 4: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins – Sept. 29, 7:15 p.m.
• Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos – Sept. 29, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars – Oct. 6, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 6: Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons – Oct. 13, 7:15 p.m.
• Week 6: Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders – Oct. 13, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 7: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions – Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
• Week 7: Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks – Oct. 20, 10 p.m.
• Week 8: Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs – Oct. 27, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 9: Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Nov. 3, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers – Nov. 10, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 11: Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders – Nov. 17, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 12: Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers – Nov. 24, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 13: New York Giants at New England Patriots – Dec. 1, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 14: Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Chargers – Dec. 8, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 15: Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers – Dec. 15, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 16: San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts – Dec. 22, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 17: Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta Falcons – Dec. 29, 8:15 p.m.
• Week 18: TBD

Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and New York Post’s streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews