NASA and aerospace manufacturer Northrop Grumman announced Tuesday evening that the arrival of their Cygnus XL cargo ship to the International Space Station was delayed due to an apparent engine problem.
The ship, carrying 11,000 pounds of scientific equipment and cargo, launched Sunday evening and is scheduled to dock with the orbiting lab on Wednesday.
That schedule has now been delayed, as NASA said in a blog post that a new arrival date and time is under review after Cygnus XL's main engine “shut down earlier than planned” early Tuesday during two burns designed to raise the ship's orbit for a rendezvous with the ISS.
It's unclear how far the spacecraft's orbit falls short of the ISS. NASA did not specify the exact nature of the engine problem.
“All other Cygnus XL systems are operating normally,” NASA said in a statement.
The ship lifted off Sunday at 6:11 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
It is expected to deliver scientific equipment, food and other daily necessities to the ISS crew and will remain docked to the station until March 2026, when it will begin its descent and burn up upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
Sourse: www.upi.com
