Monday, November 28, 2005

SpaceX Scrubs Launch

El Segundo-based SpaceX has delayed the launch of its commercial launch service debut over the weekend, as liquid oxygen problems and computer glitches forced a scrub of its original launch date. The firm said that a liquid oxygen valve had been incorrectly set to vent. SpaceX has designed a two stage, liquid oxygen powered rocket designed for delivering payloads into space. The partially reusable rocket is targeted as a low-cost delivery vehicle with modern electronics, and at $6.7M will be the lowest cost per flight to orbit of current launch vehicles. The company's first payload is a satellite designed by the Air Force Academy to measure space plasma phenomena, funded by DARPA and the Air Force.