NASA is adding more food and supplies to the upcoming cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) to support the crew after the resupply mission scheduled for June was canceled.
The Cygnus spacecraft, which was scheduled to launch to the ISS in June, sustained damage while traveling to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is no longer airworthy. NASA was forced to cancel the Cygnus cargo mission, which was supposed to deliver water, food, experiments and other supplies to the ISS crew, SpaceNews reports. Instead, the space agency will adjust the cargo manifest for the upcoming SpaceX resupply mission, which is scheduled to launch in April.
The Northrop Grumman spacecraft is one of two cargo ships used for regular deliveries to the ISS, the other being SpaceX’s Dragon. This particular ship was to be used for the NG-22 mission scheduled for June. However, on the way to the launch site, the shipping container for the ship’s pressurized cargo module was damaged. NASA has yet to assess the damage and how it could affect the upcoming mission.
“After an initial assessment, damage to the cargo module was found,” the agency said in a statement, according to Ars Technica. “The International Space Station program will continue to work with Northrop Grumman to assess whether the Cygnus cargo module can safely reach the space station during a future flight.”
NASA will modify the cargo during the next resupply mission to the ISS, which is scheduled for April. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will now be packed with more supplies and food instead of some scientific cargo to help astronauts sustain life until the next resupply mission. By that time, NASA will decide whether the Cygnus spacecraft is suitable for launch to the ISS in the fall for the NG-23 mission.
Northrop Grumman and SpaceX transport cargo to and from the ISS under contracts signed in 2008. NASA has a commercial resupply contract with a third company, Sierra Space, to use its Dream Chaser spacecraft to deliver cargo, but the spacecraft is not yet ready to fly. NASA is also waiting for Boeing’s Starliner to be assembled and carry cargo and astronauts to the ISS once it is certified, but the space agency recently announced that it is considering one more test flight of the ship before it becomes operational.
Until then, NASA will have to rely on Northrop Grumman and SpaceX for regular flights to the ISS.
