Space station without full power ahead of cargo supply delivery

NASA is working to restore full power to the International Space Station two days before SpaceX is to launch a space capsule that will deliver supplies to the orbiting laboratory.

NASA officials said in a post Monday that teams identified an issue with the space station's electrical power system.

"An issue is being worked with a Main Bus Switching Unit that distributes electrical power to two of the eight power channels on the station," the post read. "Flight controllers have been working to route power through the remaining six power channels. Electrical power generated by the station’s solar arrays is fed to all station systems through these power channels."

Last month, astronauts conducted two spacewalks to replace batteries on the space station with new lithium ion batteries. The batteries store power generated by the station’s solar panels that fuel the space station laboratory when it's not in direct sunlight.

The astronauts from the U.S., Russia and Canada who are working and living on the ISS are not in any danger, NASA said.

Staff are working to learn the cause and restore full power to the electrical system.

SpaceX was set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon capsule on Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASA announced Tuesday that it asked SpaceX to move the launch to no earlier than Friday due to the power issues.