Tampa: With less than a minute before launch Thursday, SpaceX aborted the liftoff of its new Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, which the California-based company promises to be more powerful and easier to re-use.
The next launch opportunity opens May 11, with a slightly more than two-hour window starting at opening at 4:14 pm (2014 GMT) and ending at 6:21 pm.
"The vehicle and payload are in good health," said a SpaceX spokesman, who was unable to give a precise reason for the aborted launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The rocket's main goal for its maiden mission is to propel the first high-orbit communications satellite for Bangladesh, called Bangabandhu Satellite-1.
Eventually, the rocket is slated to launch humans to the International Space Station, aboard SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule, still under development.
The first crew launch is tentatively planned for December 2018.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.