A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that was set to make its 14th flight was aborted less than a minute before ignition on Thursday (Oct. 6), local time.
The rocket was scheduled to launch from the Cape Canaveral launch site at 7:20 p.m. EDT with two communications satellites, Galaxy 33 and Galaxy 34, but aborted 30 seconds before the planned launch.
SpaceX said it would make a second launch attempt on October 7 at 7:06 pm EST. In response, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the automatic abort was triggered by a minor helium leak on the rocket.
“A tiny helium leak (just triggered the abort) and we’re not going to risk launching a customer’s satellite,” Musk said, “stopping to investigate.”
SpaceX reported that both Galaxy satellites are currently in good shape and ready for a new launch attempt. “The rockets and payloads are healthy and the team is working toward tomorrow’s 69-minute launch window, which will open at 7:06 p.m. EDT.”
This upcoming SpaceX mission marks the company’s third launch mission in three days.
