SpaceX canceled the first launch attempt of its giant rocket on Monday after problems during the refueling process,
Elon Musk’s company once planned to fly nearly 400 feet starship rocket From the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border.
The countdown stopped at 40 seconds due to a stuck valve in the first stage booster. Launch controllers were unable to fix the frozen valve in time and called off the attempt. The countdown continued and the fueling was done, like a dress rehearsal.
There are no people or satellites on board. Won’t try again until at least Wednesday.
“Learned a lot today,” Musk tweeted after the flight was delayed.
The company plans to use Starship to send people and cargo to the moon and, eventually, to Mars.
On the eve of the launch attempt, cars, campers, motorhomes and even bicycles and horses crowded the only road to the pad, where the stainless steel rocket towered over flat brush and grassland. Enthusiasts posed for photos in front of giant letters spelling out Starbase at the entrance of the SpaceX complex, and in front of the rocket two miles away, which stretches all the way to the bay.
Spectators were banned from the area on Monday and were instead on a beach about six miles away on South Padre Island.
Ernesto and Maria Carreon drove two hours from Mission, Texas, to watch with their two daughters, ages 5 and 7.
“I’m sad. They’re sad,” Maria Carreon said when the launch attempt was called off.
They won’t be able to return for their next attempt, but plan to have fun at the beach on Monday.
Michelle Van Campenhout, who is on vacation in Green Bay, Wisconsin, said she would be back.
“Seeing it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said.
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Marcia Dunn, Associated Press
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