Nasa, which hired SpaceX to fly cargo to the station after the shuttle program ended, will closely monitor Sunday’s launch to learn more about SpaceX’s operations before it clears the company to fly Nasa astronauts on SpaceX rockets. Photo: ReutersCape Canaveral: Countdown clocks were ticking down on Sunday for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from a historic launchpad leased from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX scrubbed its first launch attempt on Saturday seconds before lift off due to concerns about the steering system in the rocket’s upper stage, the company said. ALSO READ | SpaceX halts rocket launch 10 seconds before planned liftoffSpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk wrote on Twitter after the delay, “99% likely to be fine ... but that 1% chance isn’t worth rolling the dice. SpaceX hopes to have its second Florida launchpad, located at the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, back in operation this summer.

Source: Mint February 19, 2017 13:15 UTC