CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX will have to wait another day to deliver groceries and an espresso maker to the International Space Station.

Storm clouds prevented the unmanned rocket from blasting off Monday afternoon. The company will try again Tuesday, but more bad weather is expected.

SpaceX halted the countdown at the 2½-minute mark as a menacing storm system moved into the 11-mile keep-out zone surrounding the Falcon rocket. The company had a single second to get off the ground.

The SpaceX supply ship holds more than 4,000 pounds of food, experiments and equipment. Italy provided the specially designed espresso machine for Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who arrived at the space station last November.

The espresso maker was supposed to fly in January but ended up on backlog following another company’s launch explosion last year. That accident left the space station’s pantry a little emptier than NASA would prefer. The space agency is trying to get back to a six-month reserve of food.

Once the cargo ship flies, SpaceX will try to land the leftover booster on an ocean barge. It will be the third such landing attempt for the California company led by billionaire Elon Musk. SpaceX aims to reuse the first-stage boosters that are normally thrown away to make spaceflight more affordable.

Tuesday’s launch time is 4:10 p.m.


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