Miami - SpaceX's latest attempt at recycling its Falcon 9 rocket by landing it upright on an ocean platform failed Tuesday, the company said, after a successful launch of its cargo mission to space.
"Rocket landed on droneship, but too hard for survival," SpaceX chief Elon Musk said on Twitter, after the Dragon cargo craft was on its way to the International Space Station.
The California-based company headed by internet entrepreneur and billionaire Musk is aiming to revolutionize the rocket industry by making the equipment as reusable as commercial plane, in order to save million of dollars in lost equipment.
Currently, rocket pieces fall into the ocean after launch and cannot be salvaged for another flight.
But SpaceX has a long way to go before it can hone the technology so that the first stage of the rocket can be flown back in a controlled manner and set down carefully on an ocean platform.
The last attempt in January also failed, when the rocket broke to pieces after colliding with the autonomous droneship, the floating platform which is marked with an X.
Musk said on Monday that the chances of success this time were about 50-50, but that the company believes it has an 80% chance of success by the end of the year since many launches lie ahead.
