replace eight:30 a.m. ET 4/15/2015: And now we’ve video! sadly, it cuts off earlier than we can see the rocket absolutely tip over:

update four:32 p.m. ET: in step with a tweet from SpaceX CEO <a class="fc-plugin people-page" href="http://www.fastcompany.com/person/elon-musk" data-event-label="elon-musk" data-event-action="mcp1000" data-event-category="recirculation" data-name="peoplePages" data-id="fastcompanyhowever didn't land smoothly:

update: 4:15 p.m. ET: Liftoff! check again quickly for information of the ocean touchdown attempt.

Elon Musk’s non-public spaceflight firm SpaceX has planned a 2d experimental rocket landing for today after engineers scrubbed (April 17, 2015)’s launch just three minutes earlier than liftoff as a result of a close-by storm cloud. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch a supply tablet towards the global house Station and then automatically coordinate a rendezvous with a robotic ship within the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX has described the maneuver as “like looking to stability a rubber broomstick in your hand in the course of a wind storm.”

The payoff will probably be big if SpaceX can determine the way to recover rockets for later launches, somewhat than letting them fall into the ocean and change into trash. If all goes in keeping with plan, the Falcon 9 rocket will raise off today at 4:10 p.m. ET, with the barge touchdown attempt happening about 10 minutes after.

A earlier touchdown strive by means of SpaceX, on January 10, led to an excellent fireball when the rocket’s aerodynamic fins, which regulate its descent to the floating platform, ran out of hydraulic fluid simply ahead of landing. See the Vine beneath:

the main mission these days is to send provides and subject matter for scientific experiments to the world space Station. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch the cargo tablet, then detach and try the barge touchdown. The experimental landing is separate from the resupply mission, that allows you to no longer be affected will have to the rocket fail to land gently.

As I wrote in the past, SpaceX hypothetically will have the ability to keep tens of millions of greenbacks via reusing its vehicles if it might probably successfully land its rockets after space launches. “i think if we will get better the stage intact and relaunch it, the potential is there for a very modern influence in area transport costs,” Musk stated last yr. SpaceX at present works with NASA to ferry astronauts and cargo to and from the global area Station. the company can be constructing a non-public spaceport in Texas to give a boost to business missions.

Watch a reside movement of the launch, scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida, within the video participant above. i will replace this publish with information of the barge landing.