NASA is working on the power outage of the space station that delays the launch of SpaceX

NASA engineers are investigating a power problem at the International Space Station, which is delaying the next flight to the in-orbit lab. On Monday, a switch failure led to the shutdown of some of the station's power channels. The ISS is still powered and the problem poses no danger to the crew, but NASA must replace the switch before the spacecraft can visit it.

To generate electricity, the ISS has eight long solar panels on the outside of the station that convert sunlight into electricity. This electricity is then redirected into the ISS via four switches called MBSU. But now, one of these four switches is working. As a result, two of the eight supply channels supplying electricity to the plant do not work either.

The six astronauts aboard the ISS are safe, but NASA loves the layoffs, which is why the space agency is pushing the launch of a new SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule expected to be traveling to the station this week. Whenever one of these capsules arrives at the ISS, astronauts use the station's large robotic arm to grab the incoming vehicle and place it outside the station. The robotic arm needs electricity and, even though it is still powered by one of eight power supply channels in operation, it also uses one of the failed channels. for the time being.

NASA wants all the power channels of the robotic arm to be operational when the capsule arrives in case of a problem. If, for an extreme reason, the robotic arm does not have the necessary power, the astronauts have no way to grab the SpaceX capsule.

Initially, the launch of SpaceX was scheduled for Wednesday morning, April 30, with the arrival of the company's Dragon capsule at the station, Saturday, May 4. But now, NASA is delaying the launch so that the space agency has time to replace the switch that blocks everything. "The teams are working on a plan to robotically replace the failed unit and restore the station's electrical system," said a spokesman for NASA. The edge. "Additional information will be provided as soon as it is available." The first launch opportunity is Friday, May 3, although the launch is not yet known.