Live coverage: Falcon 9 disintegrates after launch

Rocket Lab called off a launch attempt Tuesday, U.S. time, in New Zealand after encountering a technical problem during the countdown for the company’s first commercial satellite launch. Tuesday’s countdown came after a four-day delay to resolve problems with a downrange tracking station and wait for improved weather.

SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket is being readied for liftoff Aug. 14 on a space station resupply run. The two-stage rocket completed a hold-down engine firing Thursday at launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Iridium chief executive Matt Desch spoke with Spaceflight Now on the eve of the first launch for the company’s next-generation satellite fleet, discussing the $3 billion upgrade’s technical and financial ramifications and his feelings before deployments begin in orbit.