WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — The International Space Station will have to wait at least one more day before it can get its new space potty.
An automated abort of Thursday night's scheduled launch of an Antares rocket happened at about t-minus 2:40 before liftoff. NASA says that based on preliminary information, the automated abort was due to a piece of ground support equipment.
A $23 million titanium toilet is packed inside the rocket that was poised for blastoff from Wallops Island, Virginia.
What makes this new toilet so special is its compact size: it's barely 100 pounds. It's also better suited for women.
Space station astronauts will try out the new toilet for a few months before it's open for regular business.
NASA considers this a good shakedown before another one of these toilets flies to the moon with astronauts in another few years.
If Thursday's issue is resolved, the next launch window available for liftoff will be Friday, October 2, at 9:16 p.m. EDT.
