spacetoday.net: SpaceX launch postponed

Posted: Fri, Mar 14, 2014, 6:25 AM ET (1025 GMT)
Falcon 9 launch of CRS-2 mission (NASA/KSC)

SpaceX announced late Thursday that it has delayed the launch of its next cargo mission to the International Space Station by two weeks, reportedly due to a contamination issue with the Dragon spacecraft. The launch, previously planned for the pre-dawn hours Sunday, March 16, from Cape Canaveral, is now scheduled for the evening of March 30, with a backup launch date on April 2. The company said only that the delay would allow additional time to "resolve remaining open items," without specifying what those items are. CBS News reported that workers found "apparent contamination" in the unpressurized trunk of the spacecraft that could affect laser communications and camera payloads being carried there. The mission will be the third of twelve missions to transport cargo to and from the ISS under SpaceX's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA.