A KREPE-3 capsule is pictured inside the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft

iss075e0185956 (Oct. 7, 2026) --- NASA astronaut Anil Menon holds a KREPE-3 capsule inside the Northrup Grumman Cygnus XL 24 cargo spacecraft. The capsule is one of 10 that will be packed inside Cygnus XL for unberthing and release from the International Space Station. Inside the capsule is an Adaptable Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT) heat shield developed at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. ADEPT is shaped like an umbrella to increase surface area and slow descent. At full size, its design is foldable, making it ideal for deploying payloads that are larger than the rockets that launch them into flight. Credit: NASA/Anil Menon