SpaceX aborted a plan to dock of an unmanned cargo ship with the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday due to a computer problem with global positioning system (GPS) hardware.
The cargo ship was within 0.7 miles of the ISS before aborting its docking attempt. The ship was carrying 5,000 pounds of food, supplies and scientific equipment for ISS astronauts.
NASA confirmed the docking failure on Twitter. SpaceX officials say they will attempt to dock again Thursday.
The @SpaceX #Dragon spacecraft has waved off today’s planned rendezvous and docking with @Space_Station: https://t.co/mzKW5uV4hS pic.twitter.com/XMmTJlQdeE
— NASA (@NASA) February 22, 2017
The rocket that lifted the capsule into orbit successfully returned to Earth Saturday at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The docking failure occurred on SpaceX’s second successful launch and landing since a September 2016 explosion destroyed one of its rockets on the launch pad. SpaceX’s business rivals at the defense contractor United Launch Alliance predicted it could take SpaceX up to a year to return to outer space after the explosion.
SpaceX officials claim the explosion was caused by broken carbon fibers that caused cold oxygen to catch fire and explode. Basically, SpaceX used a risky fueling process that can result in an explosion if the weather is warmer than expected.
NASA’s Space Station Advisory Committee has serious concerns about the company’s safety standards however, and suggested that SpaceX review its policies even before the explosion.
SpaceX rockets have previously exploded several times during landing attempts, which billionaire CEO Elon Musk called a “huge blow.”
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