It was a harrowing few hours for both SpaceX and NASA as the private space corporation hired to ferry supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) hit a snag - the Dragon capsule's thrusters malfunctioned. Thanks to some quick on-the-feet thinking, however, the crisis has been averted, and the capsule is on its way to astronauts aboard the ISS, albeit with a slightly later ETA.
When it arrives, the capsule will hand over 1,500 pounds of cargo, including scientific equipment and pleasantries for the astronauts aboard such as fresh fruit and some new clothing. The Dragon capsule will then take on twice as much weight and bring it back down to Earth.
The Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon capsule launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at approximately 10:10 a.m. EST. It was around noon, after the capsule separated from the rocket, that things began to look bad.
The Dragon capsule is equipped with four thrusters, and only one of them was working. NASA requires at least three to be working in order for the capsule to dock with the ISS, meaning this was a serious issue.
SpaceX's head honcho, Elon Musk called the situation "frightening" during a conference after the crisis had passed.
It seemed that some of the valves were stuck, but opening and closing them solved the problem by late afternoon and all four thrusters are currently up and running. The capsule's arrival at the ISS, however, has been delayed - it won't arrive until at Sunday at the earliest.
This SpaceX's third delivery to the ISS. After proving itself worthy last year in May, the company won a $1.6 billion contract from NASA to continue shipments as NASA's in-house spacefight program lost its vehicular manpower. The company followed up with another successful delivery in October.