Atlas V launch of Cygnus to ISS slips due to hydraulic issue

An Atlas V rocket launch that was scheduled for Friday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station slipped to next week due to a hydraulic system issue, United Launch Alliance reported Monday.

ULA is now targeting no earlier than next Monday, March 27, for the launch of an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft from Launch Complex 41 to the International Space Station for NASA. The extra time will allow teams to work on a hydraulic issue found on ground support equipment.

"The Atlas V and Cygnus spacecraft remain secure in their processing facilities," ULA said in a statement.

Atlas V had been scheduled to lift off at 9 p.m. this Friday. A launch on March 27 would be around 7:45 p.m.

The mission, named OA-7, had previously been pushed back to correct a hydraulic issue on the Atlas booster.

The Cygnus will launch with nearly 7,500 pounds of supplies bound for the ISS.

SpaceX, meanwhile, is tentatively targeting a March 29 liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket and commercial communications satellite from Kennedy Space Center.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter at @EmreKelly and on Facebook at Emre Kelly.

[More: Satellite launched by Atlas V detects Delta IV launch from Cape ]

[More: Delta IV delivers WGS-9 military satellite to orbit ]