SpaceX Launch Aborted A 3rd Time, Partly Due To Wandering Boat

Third time is not a charm this time for the company that was able to safely land an orbital rocket on its third attempt. SpaceX, once again, had to abort its scheduled mission to launch an SES satellite into orbit and, once again, it was due to consideration for the liquid oxygen the rocket was carrying. This time, however, the launch was automatically aborted by the computer mere seconds before liftoff. And this time, it may have been the fault of a still-unnamed boat that wandered where it should not have been.

The rocket was scheduled to launch 6:46 p.m. ET. Unlike the first aborted launch, the weather was clear. Unlike the second aborted launch, the liquid oxygen was in good condition. By all accounts, everything was green. But they say fate is sometimes a cruel mistress, and minutes before the launch, a boat wandered inside an off-limits area. Waiting for the area to be clear again, the launch had to be delayed to 7:21 p.m. ET.

That delay ultimately cost SpaceX the launch. According to a tweet from Elon Musk, the computer automatically cut off the rocket's engines due to a low thrust alarm. The alarm, in turn, was triggered by rising oxygen temperatures and helium bubbles resulting from the rocket sitting on the launch pad 30+ minutes longer than it should have.

At the moment, no new schedule has been announced, though any launch before Tuesday is highly unlikely. The good news is that the rocket and its payload are declared to be healthy. That said, it does painfully illustrate how even the most minor of unexpected factors, like weather or a wandering boat, can lead to expensive delays with today's level of technology and systems for space travel.

SOURCE: @Elon Musk