SpaceX calls off flight to International Space Station

American SpaceX called off its planned flight to the International Space Station because of rocket trouble, according to media report on Wednesday.

The unmanned Falcon rocket was supposed to blast off before sunrise, but the countdown was halted with just over a minute remaining.

According to NASA, actuator drift on the rocket's second-stage thrust vector control system occurred late in the countdown, automatically triggering the abort.

The Dragon capsule aboard the rocket contains some than 2,500 kg of supplies and experiments ordered up by NASA. That's the primary objective for SpaceX.

But the California-based company was to attempt an even more extraordinary feat once the Dragon is on its way: flying the booster rocket to a platform in the Atlantic. No one has ever pulled off such a touchdown.

SpaceX billionaire founder Elon Musk says recovering and reusing rockets could speed up launches and drive down costs.

The soonest time for SpaceX to try again is Friday morning, provided the problem can be fixed by then.

(Agencies)