A fledgling rocket’s second flight will have to wait at least one more day at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The Texas-based Firefly Aerospace rocket will aim to liftoff from Space Launch Complex-2 during a four-hour window opening at 3 p.m. Monday.
Sunday’s attempt included a seemingly smooth countdown until the words “abort, abort, abort” could be heard from a crew member less than a minute before liftoff.
The team tried for another launch attempt during Sunday’s four-hour opportunity, but the technical troubles apparently continued to interfere.
“Our launch today was scrubbed due to a drop in helium pressure,” a Firefly representatives said on Twitter. “The Firefly team is on it.”
The company intends to make another attempt during the backup launch opportunity Monday afternoon.
Weather also looked uncooperative as the launch time grew later Sunday.
Blue skies were replaced with ominous dark clouds as the remnants of Tropical Storm Kay continued to affect the Central Coast by bringing heat, humidity and thunderstorms.
The attempt for Alpha’s second launch came one year after the debut flight ended in a dramatic fireball visible around the Central Coast.
A carbon fiber rocket, Alpha stands some 95 feet tall, and aims to provided an economical way for small satellites to reach orbit.
For what Firefly has called a technology demonstration flight, Alpha will carry a small number of tiny satellites, a much lighter payload than the rocket can carry, so the firm can prove the vehicle’s capabilities.
A livestream of the countdown will be available on www.firefly.com.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.