NASA and SpaceX announced early Monday that they were delaying the launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) due to technical issues.
The countdown stops minutes before liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Both NASA and SpaceX said it was due to a "ground systems" problem.
Officials told the AP news agency that the launch team did not ensure that ground equipment was fully loaded with engine fluid. One SpaceX engineer compared the critical system to automobile spark plugs, which ignite the combustion needed to start a vehicle.
No new launch date for the six-month mission has been announced.
Besides two NASA astronauts, the launch would have also included a Russian astronaut and an Emirati astronaut. The latter is the second to travel to space from the United Arab Emirates, as well as being the fourth Arab country.
SpaceX announced that it would begin draining fuel from the rocket.
"Both Crew-6 and the vehicles are healthy and propellant offload has begun ahead of the crew disembarking Dragon," it said.
The crew will be the sixth to be flown to the International Space Station by a SpaceX rocket.
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