(Credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX has delayed Polaris Dawn, its low-Earth orbit launch funded by billionaire payments executive Jared Isaacman, because a "ground-side helium leak" was found on a connector known as the "Quick Disconnect umbilical."
SpaceX says its Falcon rocket and Dragon capsule are "healthy" and has set a new launch attempt for early Wednesday morning, around 3:30 a.m. ET.
Around 4 a.m. yesterday, SpaceX said its systems were "looking good" and ready to go, and 12 hours later, SpaceX announced that additional checks were in the works. But by 8 p.m., about seven hours before launch time, SpaceX made the call to delay the launch.
"While it’s a bummer to not step into a launch attempt tonight, I’m very proud of the team for identifying an issue and then digging in," said Kiko Dontchev, SpaceX VP of launches. "Nothing is more important than the safety of our astronauts and the reliability of our vehicles and operation."
SpaceX has since updated its website with a new expected launch date and time of Wednesday morning around 3:30 a.m. ET. About 3.5 hours before liftoff at midnight, SpaceX will start its live coverage of the event on its site and on X, which is owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Musk said late Monday that SpaceX was "triple-checking" everything to ensure a safe launch.
The four astronauts expected to go to space in the Polaris Dawn mission weren't too fussed about waiting one more day. "More time in quarantine to prepare is never a bad thing," Isaacman said in response to the delay. "We’re well-informed on the issue and resolution. It’s immensely comforting to have the full support of SpaceX and leadership, including Elon, ensuring mission's safety. When the call comes, we won’t hesitate to strap in."
Human astronauts must quarantine before space launches to ensure their health is in good standing and they won't bring infectious diseases to space. Isaacman described SpaceX's quarantine process as "several hours of research, medical, then we have official meetings" and as something that goes by quickly.