iStock(BREVARD COUNTY, Fla.) — Three, two, one, zero, grounded.
A SpaceX rocket launch was aborted after countdown finished Sunday at Kennedy Space Center. Although some of the Falcon 9’s rockets had already ignited, a power issue triggered an auto abort, the company said.
Huge plumes of smoke billowed out into the air while the rocket stayed in place on the launch pad.
“The purpose of the countdown is to catch potential issues prior to flight. There are a thousand ways a launch could go wrong and only one way it can go right,” Michael Andrews, a SpaceX supply chain supervisor, said during the launch’s livestream.
The rocket was set to launch 60 new satellites into orbit. SpaceX said it will determine a date to re-attempt lift off.
In January, SpaceX conducted a safety test where it intentionally blew up one of its Falcon 9 rockets to test its escape pod. Earlier this month, the company conducted a cargo transport mission to the International Space Station.
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