NASA says Northrop Grumman’s resupply craft to ISS had engine issue

CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — Northrop Grumman had delayed its Cygnus XL cargo craft arriving at the International Space Station after it suffered an engine issue, stated NASA.

In a blog post, NASA stated on Tuesday that the Cygnus XL craft that was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday evening will not arrive at the floating laboratory on Wednesday as scheduled.

“Early Tuesday morning, Cygnus XL’s main engine stopped earlier than planned during two burns designed to raise the orbit of the spacecraft for rendezvous with the space station, where it will deliver 11,000 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory for NASA. All other Cygnus XL systems are performing normally,” NASA stated.

Spectrum News reached out to the U.S. space agency for further comment, such as whether the cargo craft will still be able to rendezvous with the International Space Station. 

NASA replied that it would follow up as soon as there is more information to share.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim was supposed to use the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to catch the Cygnus XL and have it dock with the Unity module, where it would stay until March 2026.