Cygnus Rendezvous with Space Station Delayed Due to Technical Glitch

A resupply mission headed toward the International Space Station was delayed early Sunday morning due to a technical glitch.

The mission represents a test run for the unmanned Cygnus spacecraft developed by the private space tech company Orbital Sciences.

According to NASA, the problem arose when the spacecraft "established direct data contact with the International Space Station (ISS) and found that some of the data received had values that it did not expect, causing Cygnus to reject the data."

The discrepancy triggered an interruption in the approach sequence, delaying the berthing of the spacecraft by at least 48 hours.

Orbital has since uncovered the reason for the glitch and is working to solve it, NASA reports.

Cygnus launched Wednesday aboard Orbital's Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia after a 24 hour delay due to poor weather. Developed as part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, the space vehicle is currently carrying some 1,300 pounds of cargo, including food and clothing.

Besides resolving the technical glitch, the spacecraft has yet to accomplish a number of objectives designed to prove key capabilities before NASA will give it the clear to berth with the space station. Once these objectives are met, Expedition 37 Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano will use the station's Canadarm2 to capture the space vehicle and attach it to the Harmony node.

Cygnus's delay, meanwhile, has left the ISS crew with an off-duty day prior to a week of activity, including preparations for the arrival of three new crew members Wednesday.

Orbital is the second company to successfully launch a commercial cargo craft to the space station. Elon Musk's SpaceX was the first, completing its first mission in 2012.

Both companies are part of NASA's COTS program, which invests in "financial and technical resources to stimulate efforts within the private sector to develop and demonstrate safe, reliable and cost effective space transportation capabilities."

In all, Orbital is contracted to conduct a total of eight ISS resupply missions.