A critical spacecraft used to supply the International Space Station with food has been damaged, forcing NASA and its partners to put future trips on hold. The Cygnus cargo ship’s pressurized module was damaged during transit from the supplier to Northrop Grumman, the company responsible for building the vessel.
The next mission is now planned for no earlier than this fall, with efforts underway to expedite the repair of hardware needed for the launch. NASA aims to safely deliver essential supplies and food to the space station crew as planned.
In March, Northrop Grumman had informed NASA about damage to the container carrying the module, which also affected its contents. The company is reviewing the effects on the mission timeline and working to add more supplies and food to the April resupply flight aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Currently, the space station has enough food to last for approximately four to five months without adjustments to meal planning. However, with the expanded crew size and other changes, NASA had previously decided to accept reduced food reserves margins.
The damaged Cygnus mission follows a previous one that experienced technical issues and burned up in Earth’s atmosphere last year. The next Dragon spacecraft will carry additional research payloads, including free-floating robots, air quality monitoring systems, and atomic clocks.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/shuttle-used-supply-international-space-153802207.html