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Something Went Wrong During This Morning's SpaceX Capsule Launch

Alex Davies   

Something Went Wrong During This Morning's SpaceX Capsule Launch

Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon spacecraft set off on its journey to the International Space Station this morning, but there was a problem with the initiation of its thruster pods, which allow it to maneuver.

Soon after launch, Musk tweeted:

Mission control waited to have at least two of the four thruster pods working before deploying the solar panel arrays that generate power to run Dragon's electrical systems.

A little more than an hour after launch, SpaceX got another thruster pod working, and has now successfully deployed both solar arrays.

According to a NASA spokesperson, Dragon's "rendez-vous with the International Space Station remains on schedule as planned."

Dragon, which launched from Cape Canaveral, is carrying 1,268 pounds of cargo, including food, clothing, and care packages for ISS astronauts. It should dock with the ISS tomorrow morning.

Here's the launch:

spacex launch

SpaceX

And the spacecraft a few minutes earlier:

spacex launch

SpaceX


spacex launch

SpaceX

Seven minutes in, Dragon is well above the Earth:

spacex dragon launch

SpaceX

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