SpaceX had to call off Monday’s attempt to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA due to last-minute technical trouble. The countdown was stopped with only two minutes remaining until liftoff from Kennedy Space Center. There was no time to deal with the problem, which involved the engine ignition system, with just a split second to blast off.
SpaceX did not immediately announce when it would try again. The next launch attempt could come as early as Tuesday, but poor weather was expected in the emergency recovery area up the East Coast. Two NASA astronauts, one Russian cosmonaut, and one astronaut from the United Arab Emirates were strapped into the capsule atop the Falcon rocket.
The crew, which included commander Stephen Bowen and Sultan al-Neyadi, the first astronaut from the United Arab Emirates assigned to a monthslong mission, will replace four space station residents who have been up there since October. After all the fuel was drained from the rocket—an hour-long process—the astronauts had to wait before getting out. Commander Bowen reassured everyone, saying, “We’ll be sitting here waiting. We’re all feeling good.”
Officials stated that the problem involved ground equipment used for loading the engine ignition fluid. The launch team was unable to determine if there was a full load. A SpaceX engineer compared this critical system to spark plugs for a car.
»Technical issues stopped spaceX proposed launch to the international space station«
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