Anyone who has kept up to date with Elon Musk and his merry band of space travellers will know that SpaceX are trying very, very hard to land a booster rocket on a floating platform off the coast of Florida.

Their first two attempts proved unsuccessful, with January’s efforts ending in flames and February’s attempts stopped by rough sea conditions. There was quite a build-up to yesterday’s attempt but alas, it was close but no cigar. Fox News reports:

“Ascent successful. Dragon enroute to Space Station. Rocket landed on droneship, but too hard for survival,” tweeted SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Tuesday, shortly after the Falcon 9 rocket launched the Dragon spacecraft.

Musk then sent out the following tweet:

His determination comes from the fact that he sees the recovering and reusing of rockets as a vital part of reducing launch costs and speeding up operations, which goes to prove that even those worth in the region of $12 billion appreciate some cost-cutting.

The Dragon spacecraft, which is unmanned, is carrying around 1 800 kilograms of supplies meant for the International Space Station and should still arrive on schedule this Friday. It is also carrying a coffee machine, although we prefer our cuppa a little closer to home.

Keep at it Elon, we know you have a few dollars stashed away to fund this venture of yours so no use stopping now.

[source:foxnews]