spacetoday.net: Computer issue postpones ATV undocking

Posted: Wed, Sep 26, 2012, 1:48 PM ET (1748 GMT)
ATV-3 docking with ISS (NASA)

The scheduled undocking of a European cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station was aborted Tuesday evening because of a computer problem on the station. ESA spacecraft controllers planned to undock the ATV-3 spacecraft, also known as Edoardo Amaldi, from the ISS Tuesday, but aborted the procedure when the ATV failed to receive a command issued from a computer on the station. Controllers later determined that the ATV didn't receive the commands because they were sent from the station with the "wrong spacecraft identification number," according to an ESA statement. Another undocking attempt is planned for Thursday, pending approval from station managers. The spacecraft, which ferried cargo to the station earlier this year and help reboost the station's orbit, is now filled with garbage. After undocking it will reenter and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere in early October.