SpaceX was all set for the launching of the Falcon 9 rocket at the historical L39A pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, February 18, 2017 10:01 a.m. EST (1501 GMT). However, at T-minus 13 seconds the planned liftoff had been stopped. The main reason according to SpaceX Chief, Elon Musk was the minor defect on the rocket's steering system of the upper stage engine.
In a report by Spaceflightnow, SpaceX engineers were on the go on the countdown for the launch but one crew of the Launch Team noticed the unusual readings. At T-minus 20 the signal to cancel the blastoff was given and the clock ultimately stopped at T-minus 13 seconds. It was later reported that the launch is rescheduled the next day, if the defect is corrected.
Earlier it was reported by Telegiz that the SpaceX" Falcon 9 rocket will send the CRS-10 Dragon Cargo ship to the International Space Station. This is a crew-less mission that will ferry equipment and critical supplies. The CRS-10 will carry the proposed Experiment Monitoring Device, the Superbug MRSA to study the bacterium's growth and mutation in space minus the gravitational pull. Also, two Earth-monitoring systems will study lightning and gasses in the Earth's Stratosphere.
It can be recalled that SpaceX had made various repairs on Falcon 9 after its aborted launch last year. However, last Friday the engineers worked on the helium leakage of the second stage engine. This is an alternative ignition source that is used in restarting the powerplant while in space.
This minor leak is seen to be very minor that will not in any way affect the scheduled launch. Hence, the countdown push through as scheduled, although later was called off. For continuing update on the SpaceX Falcon 9 mission, stay tuned to Telegiz.