SpaceX Has Successfully Landed Its Rocket On A Droneship

Fifth time's the charm: SpaceX has successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on its droneship out in the Atlantic Ocean, the first time in history such a landing has ever been achieved. All four previous instances of this landing ended in failure. SpaceX hopes to use this type of rocket landing to be able to re-use the first stage of its rockets and dramatically cut the cost of space travel going forward. This landing is a huge step towards that goal, and came during an especially pivotal launch for SpaceX: SpaceX's first cargo re-supply mission to the International Space Station since a Falcon 9 exploded in mid-flight in the summer of 2015, thwarting that particular re-supply attempt. On this mission, SpaceX's uncrewed Dragon capsule -- which sits atop the Falcon 9 rocket and detaches to fly onward to the space station -- was also carrying some really exciting cargo: the first-ever inflatable space habitat designed for the space station, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM).