So, as you all know, the launch was aborted twice last Friday, Jan 14. The first launch was aborted at T-1:27. This was due to a failure of the flight computer to start. The ground system failed to send the start command to the flight computer.

It was decided to attempt the launch a second time and manually start the flight computer at the appropriate time. This second attempt was aborted due to low battery levels. Internal batteries have a limited life and they had discharged beyond safe levels. The second launch was aborted at T-2:11.

Despite the disappointing launch aborts, the rocket had no major failures. The first failure was due to a ground system. They are attempting to determine the cause of failure and the worst case is that they bypass it manually. The second abort was just because the rocket had been on too long.

So what's next? The launch team is meeting this Tuesday to discuss future launch attempts. They will reschedule at the first available opportunity. There is a possibility this will be next Friday, Jan 21. A Minuteman launch has the range from Jan 18-20. They are driving the schedule right now and could cause us to delay.

Also, internal batteries on the first two stages have to be replaced. They are scrambling to find the appropriate batteries which could further delay the launch. The PSS are thermal batteries that can only be used once.

It was amazing to see all that went on in the control room. There were several issues that forced delays during the launch atttempts. First, one of the ground command transmitters failed. This transmitter was required for launch and is used to send the destruct command to the rocket. During the first attempt, an Amtrak train was scheduled to travel through the base. It was forced to hold at the base entrance. There was also a collision avoidance alert. Calculations showed that the rocket would come within 2km of a satellite already in orbit!

So, more details will be known on Tuesday.

If anyone knows anything more, please let us know.