Private mission to space station scrubbed half a second before liftoff

From John Zarrella, CNN

updated 11:23 PM EDT, Sat May 19, 2012 |

SpaceX: Launch abort 'not a failure'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- SpaceX's launch of the first private spacecraft bound for the International Space Station has been rescheduled for next week after the mission was aborted Saturday a half a second before liftoff, the company said.

The historic launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, with its Dragon capsule filled with food, supplies and science experiments, was halted when a flight computer detected "high pressure in the engine 5 combustion chamber," the company said in a statement.

"We have discovered the root cause and repairs are underway," it said.

CNN explains: Commercial space flight

SpaceX now plans a pre-dawn launch as early as Tuesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff is scheduled for 3:44 a.m. ET, according to the statement released late Saturday.

"During rigorous inspections of the engine, SpaceX engineers discovered a faulty check valve on the Merlin engine. We are now in the process of replacing the failed valve," the company said Saturday. "Those repairs should be complete tonight."

Originally posted here:

Private mission to space station scrubbed half a second before liftoff

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