Cygnus postpones 'docking' ISS due to positioning error

Cygnus' private transport spacecraft was unable to "dock" the International Space Station (ISS) on September 22 as expected due to software problems , forcing the ship's mission to connect for the first time. This with ISS must be postponed for at least 48 hours, AFP said.

>>>Private spacecraft Cygnus is about to leave the launch pad

Earlier, the Cygnus unmanned rocket-mounted rocket propelled Antares left the launch platform at the Wallops Missile Launching Center (NASA) on Wallops Island, on the Atlantic coast in Virginia ( USA) on September 18.

Antares rocket carrying Cygnus to leave the launch pad in Virginia - (Photo: AFP)

According to the plan, the flight to ISS at 18:30 PM on September 22 (VN time). However, a problem with the ship navigation management software happened that the vessel could not "dock" ISS as expected.

Orbital Sciences (USA), which owns Cygnus, said on its website that it has detected the error and is developing a software for repair.

It is known that when approaching the ISS, the astronauts in the station will pull the Cygnus ship into assembly with the connection port of the Harmony module with the robot arm of the station. Ship carrying 590kg of goods including food, clothes . will stay in the station for about a month for this test mission.

If the mission is a complete success, in December, Orbital Sciences will launch Cygnus to make its first official flight of eight flights for a $ 1.9 billion contract with NASA.