NASA cargo ship run to ISS delayed due to mold on fabric bags

An Orbital Cygnus cargo ship was more than halfway packed for the launch, scheduled for March 10, when the mold was found during routine inspections and microbial sampling, NASA spokesman Daniel Huot said.

NASA and Lockheed decided to unpack the cargo, disinfect all the bags and then repack everything aboard the capsule, delaying launch.

The Cygnus’ liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is now scheduled for late March.

Had the mold reached the station, the crew aboard would not have been in any danger, but NASA decided to clean the bags as a precaution, Huot added.

NASA is still assessing what, if any, impact delaying the Cygnus launch will have on the next cargo run planned by SpaceX. SpaceX has not delivered supplies to the space station since April 2015. Its last shipment was destroyed during a June 2015 launch accident.

The station is a $100 billion research laboratory that flies about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.