Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) confirms Friday for the next launch attempt for its third Cargo Resupply Services (CRS) mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Launch is targeted for 3:25 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the company said in a statement. A rendezvous with ISS is scheduled for Sunday with a grapple of the Dragon capsule at 7:14 a.m. EDT.
Monday’s launch was delayed as preflight checks detected a helium valve in the stage separation pneumatic system was not holding the right pressure, meaning that the stage separation pistons would have been reliant on a backup check valve, SpaceX said.
No issue was detected with the backup valve and a flight would have likely been successful, the company said, but its policy is not to launch with any known anomalies. SpaceX brought the Falcon 9 launch vehicle back to horizontal and is replacing the faulty valve while inspecting the whole system for anything that may have contributed to the valve not working as designed.
A successful CRS-3 mission is critical to SpaceX as it may qualify toward certification to compete for Defense Department national security space launches as part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. CRS is a NASA program to deliver cargo and goods to ISS.