Helium Leak Delays Unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Launch

Apr 15, 2014 07:15 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

A helium leak in the first-stage of an unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket forced the cargo ship to remain on Earth at least a couple more days, according to the Associated Press.

With only an hour remaining till launch time, SpaceX called it off, though they believe the problem can be fixed in time for a launch on April 18.

"Today's launch has been scrubbed due to a Helium leak on Falcon 9's first stage. A fix will be implemented by the next launch opportunity on Friday April 18, though weather on that date isn't ideal," SpaceX said in a statement.

Last weekend, NASA nearly postponed the launch due to a computer outage at the International Space Station. Mission managers decided on April 13 that it would be okay for the Dragon capsule and it's over 2 tons of supplies to dock at the station however.

The computer failed outside the space station on April 11, as flight controllers were trying to activate it for a routine software load, according to AP.

The computer is a critical backup, though the primary computer has been working fine. It was the first breakdown of one of the stations MDMs.

Over 45 MDMs can be found all over the orbiting lab.

NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Steven Swanson will perform the spacewalk on April 22, even if the ship doesn't flies by then, according to AP.

It will take at least a couple of days to get the replacement computer ready, according to NASA's Kenny Todd, a station operations manager, said Monday.

The ship should have launched back in mid-march, but SpaceX needed two extra weeks for more launch prep time.

Then an Air Force radar-tracking device was damaged when an electrical short caused it to overheat, according to AP.

SpaceX signed a 20-year lease with NASA earlier this week to take over the launch pad previously used during the Apollo and shuttle programs.

Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-A will be used for SpaceX launches with astronauts bound for the space station by around 2017 or 2018.

SpaceX is one of two American companies hired by NASA to send cargo to the space station. Orbital Sciences Crop. is the other one. 

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