By Dana Farrington
National Public Radio
Moments after ignition, a privately funded spacecraft aborted its liftoff, delaying its mission to the International Space Station. 
(UPDATE: A failed rocket engine valve appears to be responsible for the unexpected abort of a private SpaceX rocket launch before dawn on Saturday, officials said. SpaceX was slated to blast off at 4:55 a.m. ET from here at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Just after igniting its main engines, the computer onboard the booster initiated an automatic abort due to a high pressure reading in one of the rocket's nine main engines. The spacecraft's next chance to launch is Tuesday at 3:44 a.m. ET, followed by a potential opportunity Wednesday at 3:22 a.m. ET. )
SpaceX's unmanned rocket had a one-second window to take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Saturday morning, and the failed launch means the next opportunity won't be until early Tuesday morning.
The founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, had been tweeting from the company's California headquarters leading up to the scheduled launch time of 4:55 a.m. ET.
"Whatever happens today, we could not have done it without @NASA, but errors are ours alone and me most of all," he said.
The successful launch would have been just the beginning in a series of tests for the private spacecraft.
The Dragon capsule, perched atop the Falcon 9 rocket, would become the first commercial spacecraft to visit the International Space Station. Even after it eventually launches, though, it will be a few days — filled with more trials — before the Dragon can berth.
SpaceX's unmanned rocket had a one-second window to take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Saturday morning, and the failed launch means the next opportunity won't be until early Tuesday morning.
The founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, had been tweeting from the company's California headquarters leading up to the scheduled launch time of 4:55 a.m. ET.
"Whatever happens today, we could not have done it without @NASA, but errors are ours alone and me most of all," he said.
The successful launch would have been just the beginning in a series of tests for the private spacecraft.
The Dragon capsule, perched atop the Falcon 9 rocket, would become the first commercial spacecraft to visit the International Space Station. Even after it eventually launches, though, it will be a few days — filled with more trials — before the Dragon can berth.
1 comment:
Even NASA scrubbed flights. A scrubbed flight means more money...more time. This is a great investment and its about time Brownsville got in on some advanced technology. All of our college grads can't be satisfied repairing tires down here.
Post a Comment