Nasa

US-based aerospace company SpaceX has successfully landed the Falcon 9 reusable rocket on a floating drone ship, following four failed attempts.

The rocket was launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US. After placing the Dragon spacecraft into orbit, the main-stage booster of the Falcon 9 rocket separated and safely landed on a floating platform in the ocean, reports BBC.

SpaceX is reportedly aiming to begin a new phase of reusable rockets and make private space travel affordable.

It was the company’s eighth cargo delivery mission to the ISS on behalf of Nasa.

"The cargo will allow investigators to use microgravity conditions to test the viability of expandable space habitats."

Part of Nasa’s commercial cargo resupply mission, the Dragon spacecraft carried 7,000p cargo to the ISS, including the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) inflatable habitat.

The BEAM unit seeks to lead the way towards the use of such units for deep space missions, including Mars.

With a capacity to expand around 10ft in diameter, the 13ft-long BEAM unit will stay attached to the ISS for a two-year test mission, during which astronauts will enter the module for a few hours several times a year to retrieve sensor data and assess conditions.

Nasa deputy administrator Dava Newman said: "The cargo will allow investigators to use microgravity conditions to test the viability of expandable space habitats, assess the impact of antibodies on muscle wasting, use protein crystal growth to aid the design of new disease-fighting drugs and investigate how microbes could affect the health of the crew and their equipment over a long duration mission."

Image: The Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US. Photo: courtesy of Nasa.