SpaceX working to fix Dragon capsule's thrusters

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A commercial craft carrying a ton of supplies for the International Space Station ran into thruster trouble shortly after liftoff today, and flight controllers scrambled to fix the problem.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said three of the four sets of thrusters on the company's unmanned Dragon capsule did not immediately kick in, delaying the release of twin solar panels for two hours.

The company said in a statement that a fuel valve was at fault, and that two sets of thrusters were needed before the Dragon could begin the maneuvers needed to get to the space station.

But more than four hours after the launch, there was no word on whether any more thrusters were working. And as the afternoon wore on, Saturday's planned rendezvous with the space station became less likely. SpaceX and NASA hastily called a news conference for later today.

The capsule is equipped with 18 thrusters, divided into four sets, and can maneuver adequately even if they aren't all working.

The problem cropped up following Dragon's separation from the rocket upper stage, nine minutes into the flight.