The count is back on (if you can believe the blog--he says not to, probably to cover his keister). If there were no problems, the test should have occurred by now.

[Update at 4:05 PM EST]

Close, but no cigar:

A few seconds before the engine ingited [sic], the count was held. They are now safing the vehicle and we will find out soon if they will restart the count and take it all the way to ignition.

It's sounding like a good thing that they did this test before launch. I think they're finding out how hard building and flying rockets is.

[Update about 4:30 PM EST]

They've recycled the count to T-15 minutes.

I find the fact that they can take the engine all the way to ignition and recycle to a fifteen-minute count a testament to the simplicity of the system (none of this having to empty tanks and recycle to the next day stuff). I'm not sure what it says about reliability at this point, though.

[Update at 4:50 PM EST]

They've stopped the count again, but this latest post expands on my comments above about repeated launch cycles, and how far the technology has allowed us to come in that regard. It also provides some explanation of the issues they've been encountering today.

Once again, though, it points out that they weren't ready for prime time when it came to launching (and that these test firing rehearsals were a good idea). That's what test flights are for, and so far, while they haven't launched, they haven't lost anything, either, except some time. Hopefully, this "shakedown cruise" will reveal a lot of things that will give them better schedule reliability in the future.

[Another update a couple minutes later]

It really is a family affair. Note the last name of the commenter to this latest post.

[Update a few minutes later, for those not following the Kwajrocket blog]

They've emptied the propellant tanks and are analyzing data, but it doesn't sound like they've yet given up on an engine firing today.

[Late night update]

Two to four weeks (sorry, no permalink--just click on the link to "New Launch Date Update.")

These delays are just killing my productivity at work. How many "geek" hours have been wasted
following every miniscule peice of Space-X news.
I know I am 100% guilty.

Paul

Hey, you only have to click on the link occasionally. I have to keep posting on it...

His last post says all of the fuel had been drained from the tanks, no success?

Well, there's no update, but it seems unlikely at this point that there was or will be a successful test firing today, or that there will be a launch attempt tomorrow. Too many issues.

I applaud the folks at spacex but thought it a bit funny when they were talking about connecting all the folks who built the system and how this would have taken months in the 70's. The folks who built the Redstone that I know laughed at this as they all had real time data and communications between Florida and Huntsville in the 1950's as well as Goldstone and Hattaras North Carolina (via phone and amateur radio).

Note to youngsters, just because in the 50's it was all analog does not mean that it was primitive. I would love to see the young whippersnappers do real time trajectory calculations while the bird is in flight with a slide rule!

Dennis

With all of these delays, won't his customers start getting nervous? I'm afraid they'll start losing confidence in Musk, or they have already.....

To B. Brewer:

Do not worry,in this as in much else, there is nothing like a succesful maiden flight to reinspire confidence. I applaud the SpaceX team for their punctiliousness.

ooh... the anticipation...

They updated again, they said they're going to have a new hold-down test at 1pm CA. time. They lost their launch window though........

Appears the hold-down test was sucessful.