SpaceX
puts Falcon 9 rocket launch on hold until July
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[June 24, 2014]
By Irene Klotz
CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. (Reuters) - Bedeviled
by a spate of technical problems, Space Exploration Technologies on
Monday said it will suspend launch attempts of its next Falcon 9 rocket
until early July.
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The privately owned company, also known as SpaceX, has been trying
since Friday to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station in Florida on a satellite-delivery mission for Orbcomm
Inc, which provides machine-to-machine data and messaging services
worldwide.
SpaceX had slated its fourth launch attempt for Tuesday.
"SpaceX is taking a closer look at a potential issue identified
while conducting pre-flight checkouts during (Sunday’s) countdown,"
the company said in statement posted on its website on Monday.
"SpaceX will stand down Tuesday while our engineering teams evaluate
further," it said.
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Taking into account a previously scheduled maintenance period for
the Eastern Test Range, which supports launches from Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station, the earliest SpaceX expects to be able to fly is
the first week of July.
"We ... will work with the Range to confirm the next available
launch opportunities," the company, which is owned by technology
entrepreneur Elon Musk, said.
A launch attempt on Friday was called off by a potential technical
problem with the rocket’s upper-stage engine. No other information
about the issue was provided by SpaceX, though the glitch apparently
was cleared in time for a second launch attempt on Saturday. That
attempt was nixed by poor weather at the launch site.
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SpaceX rescheduled launch for Sunday, but encountered another
technical issue.
The rocket is due to deliver six small communication satellites into
orbits about 500 miles (800 km) above Earth. SpaceX has flown its
Falcon 9 rocket nine times so far, all successfully.
(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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