A supply ship from Northrop Grumman successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, a day later than planned, after a premature engine shutdown. Astronauts used the station's robotic arm to grab the Cygnus capsule, named the S.S. Willie McCool, as it flew over Africa.
The 5,000-kilogram (11,000-pound) shipment, which blasted off from Florida three days earlier, should have reached the station on Wednesday. However, during a maneuver to climb to a higher orbit, the capsule's main engine shut down too soon. Engineers later found the issue was caused by a software setting that was too conservative.
‘NorthropGrumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft, packed with advanced medical and tech experiments, was remotely installed to the Unity module with the Canadarm2 robotic arm today where it will stay until spring,’ International Space Station wrote in an X post.
Carried more than 5,000 kgs of cargo
This flight marks the debut of an extra-large version of the Cygnus spacecraft. The cargo includes food, spare parts for the station’s toilet and other systems, and dozens of science experiments. Among the research materials are items for growing semiconductor crystals in space, equipment to improve cryogenic fuel tanks, and a specialized UV light system to prevent microbes from growing in the station's water. The capsule also carries supplies for creating pharmaceutical crystals that could be used to treat cancer.
To remain at ISS until 2026
Named after the pilot of the doomed 2003 Columbia space shuttle flight, the S.S. Willie McCool is scheduled to remain at the ISS until March 2026. It will then be loaded with thousands of pounds of trash before it undocks and burns up harmlessly upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
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