Following a scrubbed launch due to weather on Monday, SpaceX has sent another resupply mission to the International Space Station Tuesday afternoon, giving it another opportunity to test its reusable rocket platform. Successfully launched from Cape Canaveral at 4:10 PM ET, the Falcon 9 is sending an uncrewed Dragon capsule to orbit (with 4000 pounds of cargo, including an espresso machine). It attempted a vertical landing on the autonomous drone barge on the way down, but Elon Musk confirmed that the landing was “too hard for survival.” Landing a reusable rocket on a drone barge is a difficult endeavor, and our William Herkewitz explains why it’s so incredibly hard.READ NEXT: Read our updated post on the Falcon 9 landing for the latest on the drone barge attempt.Live updates:Tuesday, 4:58PM ET: You can re-watch the full successful liftoff here:View full post on TwitterTuesday: 4:29 PM ET: Elon Musk just confirmed that the first stage didn’t have a perfect landing:View full post on TwitterTuesday: 4:28PM ET: The Dragon capsule will arrive at the ISS at 7AM ET, Friday morning.View full post on TwitterView full post on TwitterView full post on TwitterTuesday: 4:22PM ET: Check out these stunning images of the third stage and fuel tank interior images from the SpaceX live feed: View full post on TwitterView full post on TwitterTuesday: 4:17PM ET: The first stage booster has begun its descent towards the drone barge in the Atlantic Ocean.View full post on TwitterTuesday: 4:12PM ET: The Falcon 9 has hit supersonic speeds, currently at 1 km/sec.Tuesday: 4:11PM ET: The Falcon 9 successfully lifts off.View full post on TwitterTuesday: 4:09PM ET: The Falcon 9 is go for launch. Watch the launch sequence from NASA’s Kennedy YouTube account here:View full post on YoutubeTuesday: 4:05PM ET: With just five minutes to go, all is still clear for launch:View full post on TwitterTuesday, 3:57 PM ET: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch is looking at a 60% “go” for launch. If today’s launch is scrubbed, the next possible attempt will be Thursday, April 16th. :View full post on TwitterWatch LIVE:View full post on IframeMonday, 4:33 pm: Anvil clouds led to the aborted launch. View full post on Twitter4:30 pm: Aborted on account of “weather violations.” The launch can reportedly be scrubbed to tomorrow at 4:10 p.m. More news to come. View full post on Twitter4:25 pm: Some Tweets in anticipation of the launchView full post on TwitterView full post on TwitterView full post on TwitterSee also: The illustrated guide to SpaceX’s reusable rocket launch.Elon Musk’s space company first attempted this ambitious landing in January, when the Falcon 9 made it to the platform but couldn’t stick the barge landing, falling over in a fiery explosion instead. In February SpaceX gave it a second try, but scrubbed a barge landing in favor of a soft landing at sea, where it could collect data as the rocket made its descent.View full post on TwitterLanding a tall rocket, tail-side down, on a platform at sea is a devilishly hard thing to do. Media Platforms Design TeamMedia Platforms Design TeamMedia Platforms Design TeamBut if SpaceX can pull it off, it’ll open the door for reusable rockets, something that could drastically reduce the cost of space launches.SpaceX will live-stream the launch here.John WenzWriterJohn Wenz is a Popular Mechanics writer and space obsessive based in Philadelphia. He tweets @johnwenz.
