The first private re-supply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was aborted at T-minus 0.5 seconds early this morning due to problems with one of the craft’s nine engines. SpaceX hopes to try again Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.
“We had a nominal countdown, right until about T-minus point-five-seconds,” explained SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell.
“The engine controller noted high chamber pressure in engine five; software did what it was supposed to do – aborted engine five, and then we went through the remaining engine shut-down,” she told reporters.
“We need to lift off with all nine [engines], which is why we aborted. You can lose up to two engines and still make your mission, just not at lift-off.”
(via BBC News)
