SpaceX on Saturday blasted off its Falcon 9 rocket on an historic recycling mission, after propelling the Dragon cargo ship toward the International Space Station.
The rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 4:47 am (0947 GMT) and was to be followed minutes later by an attempt to guide the rocket's first stage down to a controlled landing on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
According to a SpaceX update – "the Rocket made it to drone spaceport ship, but landed hard. Close, but no cigar this time. Bodes well for the future though."
After two delays in recent weeks due to rocket problems, Saturday's launch went smoothly.
The cargo ship is carrying more than 5,000 pounds of supplies to the six-member crew of astronauts living in orbit.
