Aborted Liftoff Delays Trip To Space Station

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SpaceX rocket Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral in Florida was scheduled to launch Saturday morning, but aborted just before liftoff.

SpaceX rocket Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral in Florida was scheduled to launch Saturday morning, but aborted just before liftoff.

Moments after ignition, a privately funded spacecraft aborted its liftoff, delaying its mission to the International Space Station.

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.

Update at 10:04 a.m. ET. Shutdown A Half-Second To Launch:

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Aborted Liftoff Delays Trip To Space Station

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