Woke up on Wednesday, expecting a SpaceX launch? Surprise! It got postponed

The 17th SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station has been delayed to no earlier than 3 May as ground controllers work on a plan to deal with a power problem onboard the orbiting lab. On 29 April NASA noted a problem with one of the ISS's Main Bus Switching Units (MBSU), which routes electrical power from the …

[Pascal Monett]

Hey, good news

At least this time the delay is not due to a SpaceX problem.

[x 7]

What happens if they need a spare part sending up to fix the problem?

[A K Stiles]

Send it on a Russian spacecraft?

"American components, Russian components - all made in Taiwan!"

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

They don't have Amazon prime?

[Anonymous Coward]

Prime account

One day delivery.

[wolfetone]

Then they'll send it up as a passenger on a Soyuz.

[Lorin Thwaits]

Then they've been grossly negligent to established protocol which mandates spare parts be available on-hand.

[x 7]

but have the Americans got any unused Soyuz credits left? Thought I'd read somewhere they'd used all the rides they'd paid for.

[Stoneshop]

but have the Americans got any unused Soyuz credits left?

NASA now looking frantically behind the sofa, rummages through the laundry and the paper bin.

(it's not in that jacket pocket either, no)

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: but have the Americans got any unused Soyuz credits left?

You would think that by now they would have enough frequent flyer miles

[phuzz]

They're planning to buy more. That said, this launch was a cargo-only ship, so being delayed a few days has no affect on the crew-transfer side of things.

Of course, what with the minor 'anomaly' SpaceX had last week, the crew transport program has it's own, separate, problems.

[Alistair]

Hmm. Well

They could always fall back to two astronauts and a pair of lassos. But that would very likely be a little too cowboy for the space community.

[werdsmith]

Headline reads like a delay to a space launch is particular SpaceX problem.

I think it's normal for a space launch.

[Tempest8008]

El Reg seems to have a hate boner with regards to SpaceX

As mentioned previously, the headline definitely makes it seem like "another" SpaceX failure.

The headline would have been more accurate if it had been: Dragon Docker Down: No SpaceX Today

The Register really seems to have it in for SpaceX. The headlines and stories are rarely complimentary.

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: El Reg seems to have a hate boner with regards to SpaceX

They really don't you know. SpaceX get loads of coverage in El Reg, and most of it is favourable. They just have a sarcastic headline style - when they're not deploying the awful puns anyway...

[werdsmith]

Re: El Reg seems to have a hate boner with regards to SpaceX

When booking a trip to Florida to view a launch. make it 2 weeks and have the scheduled launch in the first day or two.

[Red Ted]

Space walks

"Back then it took four spacewalks to connect up the 13.5 ton component, with an astronaut hanging off the end of the ISS's Canadarm2 for the first time while another worked as a 'free floater'"

Was it just me, or did anyone else think of Lemmings at that point?

Oh no --->

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Space walks

No, but having worked as swimming pool life guard a few summers many years ago, the term "floater" means something way more yucky to me!

[TeeCee]

So they're looking for a remote, robotic fix for a problem which affects the remote manipulator arm?

I'll have a fiver on someone having to go out and do it themselves please.

[Spherical Cow]

They have power to the arm, they just don't have backup power to the arm. Not a big deal if power fails during a part swap (unlikely, but if it does happen they can send out a person as you suggest). A bigger deal if it fails while capturing a Dragon (equally as unlikely, but now there's an untethered Dragon).

[Anonymous Coward]

Ran out of time

It’s time to disembark the ISS and focus on nationalistic warmongering geopolitics.

[wolfetone]

Re: Ran out of time

IN SPAAAAAAAAAAAACE!