Spaceflight Now
[FONT=VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF][SIZE=+2]
Falcon 9 rocket launch scrubbed after pad shutdown[/SIZE][/FONT]
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was counting down to blastoff at 4:55 a.m. EDT today, but the historic first commercial visit to the International Space Station was aborted due to a problem detected during main engine start. The next launch opportunity is Tuesday at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT).
0901 GMT (5:01 a.m. EDT)
SpaceX reports the problem triggering the abort was a high chamber pressure reading on Engine No. 5 of the first stage. Aborts are common in Falcon 9 countdowns when computers recognize a limit out of a predefined range. Sometimes the fix is as simple as adjusting the acceptable range in the computer, but with a one-second launch window this morning, there will no opportunity to resolve the issue today.
0858 GMT (4:58 a.m. EDT)
The launch team is safing the rocket and Dragon spacecraft after this morning's abort. The next launch opportunity is Tuesday morning at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT),
assuming whatever issue caused the abort is resolved in time.
0856 GMT (4:56 a.m. EDT)
It's not clear what caused the abort just before liftoff, but this will mean Falcon 9 will not launch today. The rocket had a near-instantaneous launch window in which it could fly today.
0855 GMT (4:55 a.m. EDT)
ABORT. The ignition sequence started, but there was a countdown cutoff before launch.