The planned docking of a private cargo spacecraft with the International Space Station was delayed on Sunday by 48 hours due to a computer problem, NASA said.
Orbital Sciences’ Cygnus spacecraft is to become only the second privately owned spacecraft to re-supply the space outpost.
The company’s Antares rocket, carrying the Cygnus spacecraft launched into its intended orbit from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virgina on Wednesday.
Cygnus was able to make contact with the ISS, but its approach was interrupted by a problem exchanging data between the craft and the station.
Orbital Sciences was able to find the cause of the problem and was developing a software fix. It should be able to resume docking operations on Tuesday, NASA said.
The mission follows previous private cargo re-supply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) by the SpaceX Dragon capsule as NASA seeks to jump start the private spaceflight industry after the retirement of its space shuttle in 2011.
Cygnus is to rendezvous and berth with the space station and deliver some 680 kilograms of supplies. The spacecraft will stay at the ISS for 30 days before returning to earth with around 795 kilograms of disposal cargo.
If the test mission is successful, Orbital will begin regularly scheduled cargo delivery missions to the ISS under a $1.9 billion contract with NASA.
This will see Orbital deliver approximately 20,000 kilograms of cargo to the ISS over eight missions through 2016, including food, clothing, crew supplies, spare parts and equipment, and scientific experiments.