[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]SpaceX successfully launched early Saturday a Falcon 9 rocket carrying its Dragon space capsule loaded with 5,500 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station.
The rocket’s first stage also successfully returned to Earth, landing on a SpaceX ship parked in the Atlantic Ocean. It was SpaceX’s 39th successful booster landing.
The rocket left Cape Canaveral at 2:48 a.m. ET after being delayed 24 hours because of an electrical problem on the droneship.
The launch followed an April 20 accident that destroyed a Crew Dragon capsule, SpaceX confirmed. During a ground test of systems on April 20 the spacecraft exploded about a half second before abort engine ignition. The exact cause of that accident has yet to be identified.
Crew Dragon is intended to carry human passengers and SpaceX hopes to do so this summer. Another Crew Dragon was launched to the space station March 2 and successfully returned to Earth about five days later.
The cargo Dragon launched Saturday carried more than 250 experiments to be conducted by astronauts on board the ISS
Watch the launch livestream below.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQFhX5TvP0M” video_title=”1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]