The second time was the charm for SpaceX early Tuesday morning as its Falcon 9 spacecraft rocketed into orbit -- and history.

The private rocket blasted off without a hitch at 3:44 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The rocket, topped with the Dragon capsule loaded with supplies, is on a historic mission to the International Space Station as SpaceX aims to become the first private company ever to dock with the orbiting outpost.

The first attempt to launch, on Saturday, was aborted in the last half-second. SpaceX said the main computer shut down the rocket's No. 5 engine after a high pressure reading.

Engineers fixed the issue, and this time, all nine of the Falcon's engines continued firing all the way through liftoff.

"The significance of this day cannot be overstated," said a beaming NASA Administrator Charles Bolden from the Kennedy Space Center shortly after liftoff. "It's a great day for America. It's actually a great day for the world, because there are people who thought that we had gone away, and today says, 'No, we're not going away at all.'"

"Falcon flew perfectly!!" tweeted SpaceX's billionaire founder, Elon Musk. "Dragon in orbit ... Feels like a giant weight just came off my back."

The White House quickly offered congratulations.

"Congratulations to the teams at SpaceX and NASA for this morning’s successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Every launch into space is a thrilling event, but this one is especially exciting because it represents the potential of a new era in American spaceflight. Partnering with U.S. companies such as SpaceX to provide cargo and eventually crew service to the International Space Station is a cornerstone of the President’s plan for maintaining America’s leadership in space. This expanded role for the private sector will free up more of NASA’s resources to do what NASA does best -- tackle the most demanding technological challenges in space, including those of human space flight beyond low Earth orbit. I could not be more proud of our NASA and SpaceX scientists and engineers, and I look forward to following this and many more missions like it."

———————————————

Mission overview

SpaceX stressed this is a test flight. The company's goal: To show NASA its ability to deliver cargo and dock its Dragon capsule with the International Space Station, with the eventual goal of ferrying astronauts to low Earth orbit.

After a two-day trip to catch up with the station in orbit, part of the mission will include an early flyby of the orbiting outpost, coming to a mile and a half below, checking out the craft's sensors and flight systems to make sure it can make a safe rendezvous after being grappled by the station's robotic arm.

Engineers will also intentionally abort a docking before an actual berth takes place.

Once that happens, on Flight Day 5, astronauts aboard the station will open the hatch, unload a little more than 1,100 pounds of cargo, and refill the capsule with return cargo.

After two weeks in space, the Dragon capsule will return to Earth, splashing down a couple hundred miles west of southern California.

Mission Highlights: During the mission, Dragon must perform a series of complex tasks, each presenting significant technical challenges (dates subject to change):

  • May 22/Launch Day: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches a Dragon spacecraft into orbit from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
  • May 23: Dragon orbits Earth as it travels toward the International Space Station.
  • May 24: Dragon’s sensors and flight systems are subject to a series of complicated tests to determine if the vehicle is ready to berth with the space station; these tests include maneuvers and systems checks that see the vehicle come within 1.5 miles of the station.
  • May 25: NASA decides if Dragon is allowed to attempt to berth with the station. If so, Dragon approaches; it is captured by station’s robotic arm and attached to the station. This requires extreme precision as both Dragon and station orbit the earth every 90 minutes.
  • May 26 - 31: Astronauts open Dragon’s hatch, unload supplies and fill Dragon with return cargo.
  • May 31: Dragon is detached from the station and returns to Earth, landing in the Pacific, hundreds of miles west of Southern California.

SpaceX became the first commercial company to launch and recover a spacecraft in 2010. That launch also happened from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Falcon 9 rocket design took just four years and $300 million to develop. It produces 1 million pounds of thrust at launch and, with the Dragon capsule on top, stands 157 feet tall.

———————————————

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.