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A gathering of space fans atop Exploration Tower at Port Canaveral eagerly await the first launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo missions to the Moon and all the Space Shuttle missions were launched from 39A and its nearby twin, 39B. SpaceX leased 39A for commercial use after the retirement of the Space Shuttle. As the 10:01 a.m. launch time rolled around on 18 February 2017 everything pointed toward getting off the ground until odd readings from the second stage thrust vector control system used to steer the stage once in orbit grounded the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just seconds away from lifting off on a commercial resupply mission (CRS-10) for NASA to the International Space Station. Suffice to say, there was a lot of disappointment atop the tower this day. The problem will now be assessed to determine a new launch date.
Categories: Rocket Launch