Artistic rendition of Orbital Sciences' Cygnus spacecraft.

Orbital said the Cygnus's approach was interrupted after it established contact with the station. The spacecraft unexpectedly rejected some data and the link was interrupted.

"Orbital has subsequently found the causes of this discrepancy and is developing a software fix," the Dulles, Virginia, company said in a statement. Because of orbital mechanics, Tuesday is the earliest a next approach could be made.

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three more crew members, including NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, is scheduled to dock at the station around 11 p.m. Wednesday. An earlier Cygnus arrival would have been more convenient so the station's current three-person Expedition 37 crew could shift its focus to preparations for the Soyuz arrival. However, NASA did not say a Tuesday rendezvous would present a conflict. If necessary, the Cygnus and its 1,300 pounds of food and other supplies could loiter in space for an extended period before reaching the station.

The Cygnus is flying for the first time and no technical issues had been reported since the spacecraft launched last Wednesday from Virginia. The demonstration mission is the last milestone before Orbital flies the first of eight resupply missions under a $1.9 billion contract.

Orbital Sciences is the second private company to launch supplies to the space station. In 2012, the California-based SpaceX began accomplishing that job for NASA. The space agency is paying the two companies to deliver goods to the space station, in the absence of the now-retired space shuttles.