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Last-minute technical problem delays NASA's flight to sun

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A last-minute technical problem Saturday delayed NASA's unprecedented flight to the sun.

The early morning launch countdown was halted with just one-minute, 55 seconds remaining, keeping the Delta IV rocket on its pad with the Parker Solar Probe.

Rocket maker United Launch Alliance said it would try again Sunday, provided the helium-pressure issue can be resolved quickly. As soon as the red pressure alarm for the gaseous helium system went off, a launch controller ordered, "Hold, hold, hold."

Once on its way, the Parker probe will venture closer to our star than any other spacecraft. The $1.5 billion mission is already a week late because of rocket issues. Saturday's launch attempt encountered a series of snags; in the end, controllers ran out of time.

Thousands of spectators gathered in the middle of the night to witness the launch, including the University of Chicago astrophysicist for whom the spacecraft is named. Eugene Parker predicted the existence of solar wind 60 years ago. He's now 91 and eager to see the solar probe soar. He plans to stick around at least another few days.

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This story has been corrected to show that it's a $1.5 billion mission.

This photo provided by NASA shows the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket with the Parker Solar Probe onboard shortly after the Mobile Service Tower was rolled back, Friday, Aug. 10, 2018, Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA is sending a spacecraft straight into the sun's glittering crown, an atmospheric region so hot and harsh any normal visitor would wither. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) The Associated Press
A Delta IV rocket stands ready for launch at complex 37 at the Kennedy Space Center, Friday, Aug. 10, 2018, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Parker Solar Probe, scheduled for lift off early Saturday morning, is protected by a first-of-its-kind heat shield and other innovative technologies that will provide unprecedented information about our Sun. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press
The tower structure for a Delta IV rocket rolls back for launch at complex 37 at the Kennedy Space Center, Friday, Aug. 10, 2018, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Parker Solar Probe, scheduled for lift off early Saturday morning, is protected by a first-of-its-kind heat shield and other innovative technologies that will provide unprecedented information about our Sun. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press
The tower structure for a Delta IV rocket rolls back for launch at complex 37 at the Kennedy Space Center, Friday, Aug. 10, 2018, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Parker Solar Probe, scheduled for lift off early Saturday morning, is protected by a first-of-its-kind heat shield and other innovative technologies that will provide unprecedented information about our Sun. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Associated Press
CORRECTS SPELLING TO TORY, NOT TONY - In this photo provided by NASA, astrophysicist Eugene Parker, center, stands with NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate Thomas Zurbuchen, left, and United Launch Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer Tory Bruno in front of the ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket with NASA's Parker Solar Probe onboard, Friday, Aug. 10, 2018 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Humanity's first-ever mission into a part of the Sun's atmosphere called the corona, is scheduled to launch early Saturday. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) The Associated Press
In this Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018 photo, astrophysicist Eugene Parker sits between Johns Hopkins University project scientist Nicola Fox, left, and NASA’s science mission chief Thomas Zurbuchen, during a news conference about the Parker Solar Probe at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It's the first time NASA has named a spacecraft after someone who's still alive. (AP Photo/Marcia Dunn) The Associated Press
This July 6, 2018 photo made available by NASA shows the Parker Solar Probe in a clean room at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., after the installation of its heat shield. NASA's Parker Solar Probe will be the first spacecraft to "touch" the sun, hurtling through the sizzling solar atmosphere and coming within just 3.8 million miles (6 million kilometers) of the surface. (Ed Whitman/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP) The Associated Press
This image made available by NASA shows an artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. It's designed to take solar punishment like never before, thanks to its revolutionary heat shield that’s capable of withstanding 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius). (Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP) The Associated Press
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