SpaceX’s unmanned Dragon cargo spacecraft has missed Wednesday morning’s planned docking with the International Space Station (ISS), said US space agency NASA.
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On Sunday, SpaceX successfully launched its Dragon cargo ship from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The capsule is packed with more than 5,000 pounds of cargo and experiments headed for the six astronauts on board the space station, including two from the United States, three from Russian Federation and one from France.
Thursday’s orbital arrival comes 24 hours after Dragon aborted its first approach to the station. The supplies will still make it to their destination, however, as SpaceX is planning on making another attempt at delivery Thursday morning.
SpaceX today called off an attempt to berth its Dragon cargo capsule with the International Space Station after the, er, podule got a bit lost.
Furthermore, in one of her statements reported by Space, Jessica Jenson, the Dragon mission manager at SpaceX, has described the mission as a super-exciting day.
The safe rendezvous should help soothe the nerves of NASA and SpaceX teams that have seen this mission encounter delays at crucial moments.
Navias said that neither the space station’s crew station nor the Dragon’s cargo were in any danger. NASA TV coverage will start at 4.am and grapple will be around 6 am, and installation will be covered at 8 a.m.
Being cost effective, the Red Dragon mission will do good for NASA in obtaining Mars samples for study.
Cargo ships are now expected to arrive at the outpost on back-to-back days.
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NASA’s Space Station Advisory Committee has serious concerns about the company’s safety standards however, and suggested that SpaceX review its policies even before the explosion.
