SpaceX successfully launches reusable rocket

Private US aerospace company SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Nasa's historic Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The 70m-tall rocket was carrying a Dragon cargo ship that contained food and supplies for the ISS. Nine minutes after the rocket launched, the cargo ship separated from Falcon 9 leaving the supplies in low-earth orbit. The cargo ship will remain in orbit until it reaches the ISS on Wednesday.

SpaceX landed its leftover booster back at Kennedy Space Centre eight minutes after lift off - a feat accomplished only twice before. 

The launch was delayed on Saturday for almost 24 hours, as chief executive Elon Musk explained: “The movement trace of an upper stage engine steering hydraulic piston was slightly odd. If this is the only issue, flight would be fine, but need to make sure that it isn’t symptomatic of a more significant upstream root cause.”

It was the first SpaceX launch from Florida since a Falcon 9 exploded on a launch pad on 1 September. The explosion at Cape Canaveral didn't injure anyone, but it destroyed a satellite that Facebook planned to use to bring internet service to Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Dr Helen Meese from the IMechE said: “The successful launch of the Dragon cargo capsule and landing of the Falcon 9 rocket marks a significant milestone in the SpaceX programme.  This reusable rocket will enable Nasa to provide vital supplies and equipment to the International Space Station in the future, while making considerable cost savings to the American space programme and reducing the amount of space debris left by conventional rocket launches.

“While SpaceX still has work to do to demonstrate that the Falcon 9 can be reliable in the long term, it presents significant opportunities to the wider space community, particularly in satellite launching where the cost is often prohibitive. Although crewed flights are some time away, the potential for suborbital passenger flights seems just that little bit closer,” Meese added.