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First Private Cargo Ship Launch to ISS Aborted

RIA Novosti

14:31 19/05/2012

MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - A U.S. firm aborted on Saturday the lift-off of the first commercial cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS) after an engine cut-off, NASA said.

The engines of Spacex's Falcon 9 rocket were shut down after onboard computers noticed a high pressure warning just as the vehicle was about leave the pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX head Elon Musk wrote on his Twitter account: "Launch aborted: slightly high combustion chamber pressure on engine 5. Will adjust limits for countdown in a few days."

The next opportunity to launch the unmanned rocket carrying the Dragon cargo capsule is on Tuesday.

SpaceX is one of two private companies which have been awarded billion-dollar contracts by NASA to fly cargo to the ISS.

The firm also hopes in future to carry atronauts to and from the orbital outpost.