SpaceX calls off 1st launch attempt of giant new rocket

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX called off its first launch attempt of its giant rocket Monday after a problem cropped up during fueling.

Elon Musk’s company had planned to fly the nearly 400-foot Starship rocket from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border.  The countdown was halted at the 40-second mark because of a stuck valve in the first-stage booster. Launch controllers couldn’t fix the frozen valve in time, and canceled the attempt. The countdown continued, and fueling was completed, as a dress rehearsal.  No people or satellites were aboard. There won’t be another try until at least Wednesday.  “Learned a lot today,” Musk tweeted after the flight was postponed.

The company plans to use Starship to send people and cargo to the moon and, ultimately, Mars.

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