NASA revealed on Wednesday that the issue would avoid the spacecraft from reaching the ISS as set up. Engineers eventually identified the engine’s early shutdown was brought on by onboard software application developed to secure the spacecraft from a possible issue.

Information transferred from the spacecraft back to Northrop Grumman’s objective control center in Northern Virginia validated the engine itself ran typically. The early engine shutdowns were set off by a conservative software application secure, according to NASA.

Running under upgraded software application specifications, the Cygnus spacecraft flew itself to within 30 feet of the spaceport station early Thursday, close enough for Kim to utilize the robotic arm to connect and grapple it.

This objective is the very first flight of Northrop Grumman’s updated Cygnus XL spacecraft, with a freight module 5.2 feet (1.6 meters) longer than the previous variation of Cygnus. This equates to a capability to bring 33 percent more freight. The supply load on this objective amounts to 10,827 pounds (4,911 kgs), a NASA representative informed Ars.

The freight consists of food, oxygen, and nitrogen, and extra parts for the station’s urine processor, which assists transform waste into fresh drinking water. The Cygnus spacecraft likewise provided a brand-new navigation help to be installed outside the spaceport station to assist future team and freight ships assist themselves towards the complex.

To name a few things, research study hardware aboard the Cygnus XL spacecraft will study the production of semiconductor crystals in microgravity and show a brand-new method to keep cryogenic propellants correctly conditioned throughout long-duration spaceflight.