Engine troubles hamper Northrop Grumman resupply mission to International Space Station

 A Northrop Grumman cargo spacecraft on a resupply run to the International Space Station has been waylaid in orbit due to mechanical troubles.

The uncrewed resupply mission, the 23rd commercial services mission that the Virginia aeronautics and defense company has undertaken on behalf of NASA, got off the ground Sunday, Sept. 14 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Northrop Grumman spacecraft, a Cygnus vehicle, was then due to dock Wednesday, Sept. 17 at the orbital outpost with a delivery of supplies and science experiments for the seven astronauts aboard.

NASA and Northrop Grumman, though, have delayed the spacecraft's arrival after an issue with its main engine was detected.

Flight engineers are now determining a new target arrival date for Cygnus, one of four vehicles contracted to transport cargo and other supplies to the orbital laboratory.

Here's what to know about the Northrop Grumman cargo resuppy mission and why it was delayed.

NASA, Northrop Grumman delay arrival of resupply vehicle to ISS

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft, on a mission known as NG-23, managed to reach a safe altitude Sunday, Sept. 14 and deploy its two solar arrays needed to generate energy from the sun.

But the vehicle then encountered trouble when its main engine stopped earlier than it was supposed to amid two engine burns meant to raise the spacecraft's orbit as it approached the space station, according to NASA.

That means Cygnus will not arrive Sept. 17 at the ISS as intended. Instead, a new arrival date and time will soon be determined as flight controllers evaluate an alternate plan for the resupply spacecraft, NASA said in a blog post Sept. 16.

When did Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL launch from Florida on SpaceX Falcon 9?

The Nortrhop Grumman spacecraft launched at 6:11 p.m. on Sept. 14 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, located just south of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The company's latest version of its spacecraft, a larger iteration known as the Cygnus XL, is planning to deliver 11,000 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory for NASA. That includes dozens of research experiments that will be conducted during Expedition 73, according to NASA.