A planned static fire test for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was abruptly halted on Monday afternoon due to an issue with ground support equipment, just days before the rocket is scheduled to launch four crew members to the International Space Station (ISS).
Credit: SpaceX
The test, meant to verify the readiness of the rocket ahead of the Crew-11 mission, was automatically aborted 57 seconds before ignition due to an error related to the transporter erector’s cradle arm position indicator. The transporter erector is the structure that supports the rocket vertically on the launch pad and supplies fuel and electrical connections. NASA later clarified that the arm itself functioned properly, but the erroneous position reading caused the system to halt the countdown.
“Monday’s test auto-aborted at T-57 seconds due to an error with the transporter erector’s cradle arm position indication,” NASA confirmed via social media. “Falcon 9 and Dragon remain healthy on the pad ahead of Thursday, July 31’s targeted launch, pending static fire and launch readiness.”
The static fire attempt occurred at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center following a successful dry dress rehearsal earlier in the day, during which the astronauts boarded the Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule for practice. However, the rocket was not fueled during that rehearsal.
The Falcon 9, standing approximately 70 meters tall, was fully fueled ahead of the planned 10-second engine firing, in which its nine Merlin engines would ignite while the rocket remained secured to the launch pad. Such tests are standard before major missions, allowing engineers to verify the vehicle's performance under real launch conditions without liftoff.
SpaceX will attempt the static fire again on Tuesday, July 29.
Crew-11 will carry four crew members — NASA astronauts Zena Cardman (mission commander) and Mike Fincke (pilot), Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui — to the ISS for a long-duration mission. Cardman and Platonov are first-time space fliers, while Yui returns for his second flight, and Fincke, a veteran astronaut, will be embarking on his fourth mission.
The team arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday and is currently observing a pre-launch quarantine period. If the mission launches on schedule, the crew is expected to remain aboard the ISS for at least six months. NASA and its international partners are weighing a potential extension to eight months to better align with Russia’s evolving Soyuz flight schedule. A final decision on the mission duration will be made after Crew-11 docks with the station.
The Falcon 9 booster designated for Crew-11 — serial number B1094 — is making its third flight. It previously launched a batch of Starlink satellites in April and carried the private Axiom Mission 4 crew to orbit in June. Notably, during preparations for that earlier mission, the booster experienced a liquid oxygen leak traced back to its previous droneship landing.
Despite these challenges, SpaceX officials remain confident in the vehicle’s readiness. The Crew-11 rocket was rolled out to the pad in the early hours of Sunday and brought vertical by mid-morning. Final preparations now hinge on the upcoming static fire and subsequent launch readiness review.
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