A Falcon 9 rocket that was supposed to launch just before 5 p.m. will stay on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

SpaceX said the next opportunity for launch is Friday at 3:25 p.m.

SpaceX said the rocket had a first-stage helium leak.

NASA said this is an instantaneous launch time. That means it must happen for the rocket to launch and the Dragon capsule to catch up to the International Space Station within two days.

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Launch Chat Replay

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Despite a computer problem at the International Space Station last week, NASA gave the go-ahead over the weekend for SpaceX to launch its rocket later Monday.

The rocket will deliver the Dragon capsule, with 2.4 tons of cargo for astronauts, to the space station.

Once there, astronauts there will unload the cargo, which includes research experiments, food and four high-definition cameras that will stream live video of Earth for online viewing.

The Falcon 9 rocket being used in this launch has been modified with new, 60-foot-long legs designed to help the rocket land back on Earth after launch, making the spacecraft reusable for future launches, like the space shuttles before it.

The plan is that after the Dragon capsule separates and heads for the ISS, the first stage of the rocket will make a soft splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX said it wants to test the landing legs in the ocean first to improve precision, but eventually the private company wants to land the rocket near the launch pad. The company could save millions of dollars by reusing the rocket instead of having to build a new one for each launch.

As for that computer problem on the space station, NASA said that will be addressed during a spacewalk, tentatively planned for next week.