[Satellite TODAY 03-15-10] SpaceX has determined that the first static fire test of its Falcon 9 rocket was shutdown due to the failure of a ground support system valve, the company said in a March 11 e-mail.
    SpaceX aborted the March 9 test two seconds before its scheduled start due to a problem with the spin start system. SpaceX engineers determined that the cutoff was triggered by a valve that releases high-pressure  helium to start the first stage engine turbopumps, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote.
     “The problem was pretty simple: Our autostart sequence didn’t issue the command to the normally closed ground-side isolation valve,” Musk said. “We had tested everything on the vehicle side exhaustively in Texas but didn’t have this [isolation] valve on our test stand there. Definitely a lesson learned to make sure that everything is the same between test stand and launch pad on the ground side, not just on the vehicle side.”
    The first launch of the Falcon 9 is scheduled for April.