CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A resupply launch to the International Space Station has been delayed from Wednesday to no earlier than Friday due to a partial power outage on the orbiting laboratory, News 6 has confirmed.
SpaceX was set to launch the Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the cargo Dragon spacecraft early Wednesday morning, however, on Monday NASA officials said the International Space Station is operating without full power.
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The astronauts from the U.S., Russia and Canada who are working and living on the ISS are not in any danger, NASA said.
NASA confirmed Tuesday the agency had requested SpaceX move the launch to Friday due to the issue with the Main Bus Switching Units, which distribute power to two of eight power channels on the ISS.
"Teams are working on a plan to robotically replace the failed unit and restore full power to the station system," NASA said in a statement.
The partial power outage has left the space station arm used to grab to Dragon spacecraft with only one source of power. Two are needed to capture the supply capsule.
When the Dragon reaches the space station about three days after launch, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques will grapple the cargo ship with the space station's robotic arm for docking.
If the launch goes Friday, Air Force weather officials are predicting a 60 percent chance of favorable launch conditions. Clouds and rain are the primary concerns. Weather improves to 70 percent on Saturday.
Visitors who purchased launch viewing tickets through the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for the SpaceX launch will be refunded, the complex said in a tweet.