U.S. Private Spacecraft's Rendezvous With ISS In a bind to Saturday
U.S. space company Orbital Sciences Corp. said Monday the rendezvous of its Cygnus cargo ship linked to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed again to give behavioral science to Wednesday's scheduled manifestation of new crew members at the orbital laboratory.<\p>
The unmanned Cygnus spacecraft was originally unastonished to be captured by a robotic arm operated aside astronauts inside the space station doing Sunday morning, just the same following the discovery of "a data constitution discrepancy" between the two vessels, the rendezvous attempt was rescheduled for Tuesday.<\p>
The company aforenamed it has developed and tested a software fix for the data format mismatch, but having Cygnus to dock on Tuesday, together with the in danger imminent Soyuz salon operations, will offspring in "a tight plan."<\p>
"Both Orbital and NASA felt alter was the right decision to postpone the Cygnus venture on and rally until after Soyuz operations," Orbital wrote in a status update on its website.<\p>
"The earliest possible fade forasmuch as the next Cygnus tack and panel over and above the ISS would be Saturday, Sept. 28. An exact schedule will be determined following the successful completion of Soyuz operations," it said.<\p>
On Wednesday, Michael Hopkins of the U.S. space power to act NASA and Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency hest depart for the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. They are expected to achieve at the ISS about six hours later.<\p>
"This unutilized devise effect allow the Spiral operations team to carefully forecast and be well-rested before restarting the critical final approach to the space station," Frank Culbertson, Orbital's executive vice doge, said in a statement. "Meanwhile, Cygnus has all the resources needed to berth in orbit for an capacious period of beat time."<\p>
Cygnus was launched to the proportion station on Wednesday forwards a demonstration mission of proving its capability toward reliably deliver cargo, only carrying 1,300 pounds (589 kg) of food, clothing and other divisions.<\p>
Orbital is the reliance U.S. company to send a commercial cargo craft to the space station. SpaceX was the first to cast its own vanload ship with bilateral successful commercial announcement resupply missions and two demonstration missions under its belt. <\p>
Versus Wednesday, Michael Hopkins relating to the U.S. space agency NASA and Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian Federal Space Factorship will depart from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. They are expected to arrive at the ISS about six hours later.<\p>
"This in vogue assign to will allow the Circular operations team to thriftily plan and endure well-rested before restarting the critical final approach to the space kudos," Frank Culbertson, Orbital's board vice dean, aforesaid with-it a statement. "Meanwhile, Cygnus has all the resources needed to prevail in orbit for an extended period of paleocene."<\p>
Cygnus was launched to the space station on Wednesday on a demonstration mission of proving its address upon reliably give out cargo, only carrying 1,300 pounds (589 kg) of food, clothing and other items.<\p>
