Live coverage of SpaceX’s preparations for the next Falcon 9 rocket launch from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will launch the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. Watch on a mobile device.
Mission Reports
Live coverage: SLS core stage engines shut down early during critical hotfire test
A critical test-firing of the Space Launch System’s core stage engines cut off about a minute into a planned eight-minute burn Saturday on a test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The rocket’s four engines ignited at 5:27 p.m. EST (2227 GMT) for a test that was to pave the way for the core stage’s shipment to the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations.