SpaceX puts Falcon 9 rocket launch on hold until July
Bedeviled by a spate of technical problems, SpaceX will suspend launch attempts of its next Falcon 9 rocket until early July.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a payload of Orbcomm communications satellites is seen at launch complex 40 after an attempted launch was scrubbed due to technical issues at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
John Raoux/AP
Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Bedeviled by a spate of technical problems,聽Space Exploration Technologies聽on Monday said it will suspend launch attempts of its next聽Falcon聽9 rocket until early July.
The privately owned company, also known as聽SpaceX, has been trying since Friday to launch a聽Falcon聽9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in聽Florida聽on a satellite-delivery mission for Orbcomm Inc, which provides machine-to-machine data and messaging services worldwide.
SpaceX聽had slated its fourth launch attempt for Tuesday.
"SpaceX聽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聽will stand down Tuesday while our engineering teams evaluate further," it said.
Taking into account a previously scheduled maintenance period for the Eastern Test Range, which supports launches from聽Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the earliest聽SpaceX聽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聽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聽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.
SpaceX聽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.聽SpaceX聽has flown its聽Falcon聽9 rocket nine times so far, all successfully. (Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Leslie Adler)