European spacecraft postpones undocking from ISS

The undocking of an European cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed, Russia's Mission Control Center said Wednesday. The undocking of the ATV-3 resupply spacecraft was originally scheduled for 2:35 a.m. Moscow time on Wednesday (2235 GMT Tuesday), but due to unknown reasons the maneuver has been delayed. "According to our information, the undocking of the European spacecraft was canceled for today. The reasons are not clear as for now," a spokesman with the center said. The ATV-3 spacecraft was initially planned to be de-orbited and sunk into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, local media reported. The European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed the unsuccessful undocking, with an official saying malfunctions in the computer system of the Zvezda module of the ISS could be a possible reason, reported the Itar-Tass news agency. A second undocking will be made on Saturday, the Mission Control Center said, adding the situation "needs a more thorough analysis." The ATV-3 spacecraft docked automatically to the Zvezda service module on March 28.