The private spaceflight company SpaceX has again postponed the planned launch of a Dragon cargo ship bound for the international Space Station due to a technical glitch with the spacecraft's rocket.
SpaceX called off the Dragon launch less than two minutes before its planned liftoff at 6:20 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA spokesman George Diller said an actuator issue on the SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket prompted the abort. Engineers will review the issue in the hopes of making another launch attempt on Friday morning.
The aim of the launch is to deliver NASA supplies to the International Space Station. It will also make a historic rocket landing in the process, which will bring the first stage of the two-stage rocket down onto a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
A successful maneuver would have marked a significant step toward making rockets more reusable and driving down the cost of spaceflight.