SpaceX Launch Aborted, Next Launch Window on Tuesday

Posted by clnews News Flash Sunday, May 20th, 2012

(ArsTechnica) The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch was aborted this morning at the last moment—T-minus 0.5 seconds to be exact.

Liftoff was scheduled for 4:55 am EST, but one of the rocket’s engines experienced unusually high amounts of pressure. Once the pressure hit a certain level, SpaceX software took over and halted the procedure. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell noted the issue appeared to be with the physical engine and was not a misread by any sensor or software. The iconic countdown actually reached zero, but SpaceX holds its rockets on the launch pad a few seconds after ignition to ensure everything is functioning (protocol that looks even smarter in light of this morning).

The next available launch window for SpaceX occurs this week: Tuesday at 3:44 am EST. Company founder Elon Musk indicated any tweaks would be made with that goal in mind so SpaceX would be prepared for “countdown in a few days.”