NASA engineers are trying to assess the damage in a newly unfurled solar wing at the International Space Station (ISS), using numerous images, BBC reported.

The panel is part of an array held inside a girder that was moved on Tuesday from its temporary site on the platform to a permanent location.

Controllers on the ground and two spacewalking astronauts saw how the second of two wings in the array opened to reveal a rip along its edge.

"This is a significant challenge for us to deal with, but we will deal with it," said NASA's International Space Station program manager Mike Suffredini.

The ISS is being visited by space shuttle Discovery. Astronauts from the orbiter have already attached the new Harmony module to the station. It provides a passageway between three science labs.

NASA has added a day to Discovery's mission so that a detailed inspection of the troublesome joint can be carried out. The action is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

Discovery is due to undock from the space station on November 5 and return to Earth two days later.

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