The Dragon cargo capsule was supposed to take off earlier today, May 19. Scheduled for 0855 GMT (4:55 am EDT), launch was aborted when an engine glitch triggered a series of safety mechanisms that shut down the Falcon 9 rocket.
Both the delivery system and the spacecraft are developed and built by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), in Hawthorne, California, and are the first privately-built vehicles to attempt to dock with the International Space Station.
SpaceX officials say that an excessive pressure reading in engine number five is what caused the automatic shutdown. The Falcon 9 rocket is propelled by 9 motors. When the abort occurred, the delivery system was fueled and operational,
Space reports.
The launch will be delayed by at least three days, NASA officials say. A press conference will take place at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:30 am EDT (1030 GMT), where experts will explain what happen, and maybe provide a new launch date for the mission.
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