SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, despite concerns about cloudy weather and an approaching storm.
Weather conditions on the Space Coast cleared in time for the rocket to blast off at 3:25 p.m., sending SpaceX's Dragon capsule into orbit, bound for the International Space Station with 2.4 tons of cargo and supplies.
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The Falcon 9 launched without issue Friday, four days after a first-stage helium leak scrubbed SpaceX's last launch attempt.
This rocket was been modified with new, 60-foot-long legs designed to help the rocket land back on Earth after launch, making the spacecraft reusable for future launches, like the space shuttles before it.
After the Dragon capsule separated and heads for the International Space Station, SpaceX said the first stage of the rocket should make a soft splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX said it wants to test the landing legs in the ocean first to improve precision, but eventually the private company wants to land the rocket near the launch pad. The company could save millions of dollars by reusing the rocket instead of having to build a new one for each launch.
Once Dragon arrives at the space station, the astronauts there will unload the cargo, which includes research experiments, food and four high-definition cameras that will stream live video of Earth for online viewing.
One of the experiments could help make a breakthrough in cancer research. Professors and students from five universities have teamed up to develop a compound believed to slow down the production of cancer cells and boost the immune system.
Researchers want to see how the compound handles microgravity before moving forward with Earth-based applications.
"My hope is that our hypothesis is really true and that our research can help improve the life of humankind, not only the astronauts, but humankind," said Shakema Bowman, a student at Savannah State University.
NASA has also planned a spacewalk next week to replace a failed multiplexer-demultiplexer aboard the space station. That issue did not impact Friday's launch.
The next launch from Brevard County is tentatively scheduled for sometime in May, when SpaceX will launch another Falcon 9 rocket to send eight communication satellites into orbit for Orbcomm Inc.