SpaceX aborts rocket launch 10 seconds before lift-off

The US reusable spaceship company founded by the tech billionaire Elon Musk has postponed the planned mission of its latest rocket over a technical glitch.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral's launchpad 39A today. SpaceX scrubbed its planned Dragon cargo launch to the International Space Station. AFP / NASA

Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies, SpaceX, halted the launch of its second rocket in as many months on Saturday, about 10 seconds before its scheduled liftoff at 10:01 a.m. Florida time.

The Falcon 9 rocket, which was set to ferry supplies destined for the International Space Station, was investigated at the weekend for a “very small” leak in the upper stage before it was deemed adequate to fly, the chief executive Mr Musk said on Twitter.

“All systems go, except the movement trace of an upper stage engine steering hydraulic piston was slightly odd. Standing down to investigate,” Mr Musk said in a Twitter post.

The launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been rescheduled for Sunday at 9:38am local time, SpaceX said.

SpaceX resumed flying last month from a second launch site in California while it hustled to finish work on the shuttle’s old launchpad. Originally built for the 1960s-era Apollo moon program, the Florida pad was refurbished for the space shuttles, which flew from 1981 to 2011.

* Agencies

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter