NASA has scrubbed a test off the California coast involving recovery of a mock-up of its newest space capsule after it was discovered that the cables weren't strong enough to handle the turbulence.
In a statement Friday, the space agency said crews had trouble tying down the Orion capsule inside the well deck of the USS San Diego during Thursday's exercise. It was not clear when it would be rescheduled.
Orion is designed to carry astronauts into deep space and return to Earth by splashing down into the ocean, similar to a technique used in the 1960s and 1970s before the space shuttle era.
NASA and the Navy have been practicing for the recovery of Orion, which will make its first unmanned flight this fall.
With the shuttles retired, NASA is now focusing on the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and its Space Launch System.
Read: NASA Aims Again for Human-Driven Missions
Thousands of Southern Californians are working on Orion and SLS and the technology that goes into these systems is key to the aerospace industry as a whole.
