A passing boat ruined a third attempt by private space company SpaceX to launch a satellite that will connect remote parts of the globe to the web.
It was forced to halt the launch just at the moment the Falcon 9 vehicle was due to lift off.
Engines had been ignited, and it was all set to depart from the pad at Cape Canaveral when onboard computers aborted the mission.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted: "@SpaceX Launch aborted on low thrust alarm. Rising oxygen temps due to hold for boat and helium bubble triggered alarm."
An attempt to take off earlier in the evening was paused at the insistence of the US Air Force after a vessel moved into the restricted zone under the rocket's flight path.
A helicopter was scrambled to get the boat to move, but the delay caused the liquid oxygen used to fuel the spacecraft to warm up and lose some of its thrust.
This is likely to have caused the problems with the later launch attempt.
It is the third disappointment in five days - a fourth attempt is possible later this week.
The satellite's target is around 22,000 miles from Earth, 100 times further away than the International Space Station.
Once in position, it will be able to provide internet access to parts of the Asia-Pacific.
Last year a Falcon 9 broke apart just a couple of minutes after launch, but SpaceX returned to action in December with a multiple-satellite payload.
The California-based company is now using an upgraded, higher-thrust version of its Falcon 9.
This requires super-chilled liquid oxygen as one of the two propellants, which comes with additional handling challenges.
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