A cargo ship successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) Thursday, delivering vital supplies after a slight delay.
The Northrop Grumman Cygnus capsule, carrying 11,000 pounds of provisions, was retrieved by astronauts using the station’s robotic arm as they passed over Africa.
The delivery was initially scheduled for Wednesday, but a premature shutdown of the capsule’s main engine during an orbit-raising maneuver caused the delay. Engineers identified an overly cautious software setting as the culprit.
This mission marks the inaugural flight of the enhanced Cygnus, loaded with food, scientific research materials, and essential components for the station’s infrastructure. NASA partners with Northrop Grumman and SpaceX to ensure the ISS remains well-supplied. Other nations, including Russia and Japan, also contribute to the ongoing support of the orbiting laboratory.
The capsule has been named the S.S. Willie McCool, in honor of the pilot of the Space Shuttle Columbia, lost in 2003.
