The day before launch, Dragon was loaded with "late load" cargo in advance of the April 8, 4:43pm ET launch attempt to the International Space Station.
The day before launch, Dragon was loaded with "late load" cargo in advance of the April 8, 4:43pm ET launch attempt to the International Space Station. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
Falcon 9 and Dragon vertical on Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral, FL. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
The liftoff at 4:43 p.m. EDT (2043 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Station also marked the resumption of resupply flights by SpaceX for NASA following a launch accident in June 2015 that destroyed an earlier cargo payload for the space station. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
SpaceX plans to start launching rockets about every two weeks from its sites in Florida and California later this year as the company tackles satellite-delivery orders worth some $10 billion. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
The cargo ship that lifted off on Friday, a capsule dubbed Dragon, was due to arrive on Sunday at the space station, the $100 billion laboratory flying about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
A live video feed broadcast on NASA television showed the rocket booster, its four landing legs extended, descending over the ocean before settling itself upright on the barge-like platform, roughly eight minutes after launch. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
The reusable rocket booster should arrive back in Florida on Sunday and will be test-fired about 10 times, then likely re-launched, probably on a commercial flight, as early as May, Musk said. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
President Obama hailed the latest accomplishment on Twitter, saying, "Congrats SpaceX on landing a rocket at sea. It's because of innovators like you & NASA that America continues to lead in space exploration." (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
