SpaceX Launch Grounded due to Technical Issues, New Launch set for Thanksgiving

The SpaceX private spaceflight that would have launched the company's first commercial communication satellite into orbit around the Earth has been grounded temporarily, with a rescheduled launch scheduled for Thanksgiving.

The spaceflight powered by the Falcon 9 rocket was supposed to leave Cape Canaveral at 5: 37 p.m on Nov. 25; however glitches in the rocket prevented this from happening. The payoff for this rocket was a SES-8 communications satellite owned by SES World Skies according to Space.com. The problems first delayed the rocket's launch by a hour, but when the problem to the first stage of launch was not solved the mission was called off.

SpaceX officials gave a brief statement about the delay and announced that the rescheduled launch is set for Thanksgiving evening:

"We observed unexpected readings with the first stage liquid oxygen system so we decided to investigate...The launch vehicle and satellite are in great shape and we are looking forward to the next launch opportunity on Thursday at 5:38 p.m. Eastern time (0038 Nov. 28 GMT)."

The reason for the Thanksgiving mission, according to SpaceX, is that the Federal Aviation Administration did not want to shut down commercial plane traffic along the Florida coast during one of the busiest times of the year.

The Space flight would have been groundbreaking for many different reasons. The launch would have been the first for SpaceX mission to deliver a commercial satellite into orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket would also be one of the first uses of the Falcon 9 version 1.1, which was first used in Sept. 29. Ominously, the first mission that used this new rocket failed to ignite the second stage engine failed due to frozen igniter fluid line. This step is critical for launching the satellite for the now delayed launch mission, but the space flight did not even get that far.

Hopefully with the extra time SpaceX officials can make sure that the rocket is able to perform as expected and both the first and second stage engines are able to function as they should. After all, not only is there a lot of money at stake in this launch but it is set to bring the company into this new commercial venture.

Look out for more news about the SpaceX Thanksgiving mission, the Falcon 9 version 1.1 rocket, and if the company is able to send their satellite into orbit successfully right here.