| Updated Fri, February 3rd 2017 at 07:24 GMT +3SpaceX Falcon rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, U.S., January 14, 2017. Its statement followed a report that the U.S. Government Accountability Office will flag turbine wheel cracks in the rocket's turbopumps as a safety issue. In an email to Reuters, SpaceX said it has "qualified our engines to be robust to turbine wheel cracks. In addition to flying cargo to the International Space Station, SpaceX has NASA contracts to begin flying astronauts to the orbiting research laboratory as early as 2018. It was unrelated to the issue with the rocket’s turbopumps.

Source: Standard Digital February 03, 2017 04:27 UTC