Space X Falcon9 rocket on launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center Saturday. (NASA via AP)
SpaceX scrubbed a rocket launch Saturday from NASA’s historic moon pad in Florida just 13 seconds from liftoff.
A technical problem is being blamed for the delay.
On Twitter, NASA said the rocket has a "thrust vector control issue."
The problem with the second-stage thrust control actually cropped up several minutes earlier. With just a single second to get the Falcon rocket airborne, flight controllers could not resolve the issue in time.
The unmanned Falcon was on a space station on a delivery mission.
A second launch attempt from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A could take place Sunday.
Thousands of guests had jammed the space center to witness the comeback of 39A, last used in 2011 for the last space shuttle flight. "Hold, hold, hold!" a launch controller urged over the radio loops, to everyone's disappointment.
"Standing down to take a closer look at positioning of the second stage engine nozzle," SpaceX said later via Twitter.
Launch pad 39A was where Americans flew to the moon almost a half-century ago.
This will be SpaceX's first launch from Florida since a rocket explosion Sept. 1. The accident during prelaunch testing heavily damaged that pad. SpaceX turned to Launch Complex 39A — which it leases from NASA — to resume flights. The company hopes to launch astronauts from 39A next year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
