NASA Eyes Space Station Power Glitch Ahead of SpaceX Dragon Launch - Space.com

A power glitch on the International Space Station has forced NASA and SpaceX to postpone the planned launch of a new Dragon cargo ship Wednesday (May 1), agency officials said in an update.

SpaceX will now launch the Dragon resupply mission atop a Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than Friday (May 3), NASA officials added.

The launch delay comes as NASA engineers work to solve a power system issue on the station that began on Monday (April 29). One of the station's Main Bus Switching Units, a circuit breaker-like device that distributes electricity for two of eight power channels on the station.

"There are no immediate concerns for the crew or the station," NASA officials said in the statement today (April 30). "Teams are working on a plan to robotically replace the failed unit and restore full power to the station system."

The power issue isn't a concern for the six astronauts currently living and working on the space station, but it has affected the Canadarm2 robotic arm, NASA officials said.

NASA spokesperson Dan Huot told Space.com the power issue has affected one of two power systems on the station's robotic arm, leaving it without a backup. The Canadarm2 robot arm is vital to SpaceX's Dragon mission, since astronauts will use the appendage to capture Dragon when it arrives at the orbiting lab.

.@NASA has requested @SpaceX move off from May 1 to no earlier than May 3 for the launch of its #Dragon cargo mission to the station. https://t.co/inTfUoHT30 pic.twitter.com/3m3lchffdXApril 30, 2019

A pair of astronauts worked on the robotic arm's power supply during a spacewalk conducted earlier this month, but that work focused on jumper cables along the arm's length. The current problem, instead, is with the station equivalent of a circuit-breaker, basically.

"Flight controllers have been working to route power through the remaining six power channels," NASA officials said in the statement released yesterday.

The launch currently scheduled for early tomorrow morning has already been hit by two delays, which pushed the launch first from April 26 to April 30 on account of "station and orbital mechanics constraints," then to May 1. The rocket will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

When it does launch, the capsule will set off on a leisurely three-day journey to the space station, where astronauts will unpack the more than 5,550 lbs. (2,495 kilograms) of supplies it carried. That includes fresh supplies and new science experiments.

The mission, called CRS-17, will be SpaceX's 17th cargo delivery flight for NASA under a resupply contract.

Space.com managing editor Tariq Malik contributed to this report.

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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