SpaceX is tempting fate again.
The company, led by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, is going to launch a satellite into orbit Wednesday night and try to land part of the rocket on a woefully tricky target: a robotic barge floating off the coast of Florida.
The attempt will try to one-up its historic launch and landing of a Falcon 9 rocket on land, which happened December 21, 2015.
SpaceX intends to launch its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on February 24 at 6:46 p.m. ET. It will be pre-loaded with a commercial communications satellite, called SES-9, which the rocket will deliver into geostationary orbit.
If SpaceX pulls off the feat of landing the rocket — which they don't think will actually happen ("a successful landing is not expected") — it could set the stage for an exciting new era of spaceflight.
Rockets are expensive
One of the biggest challenges today is that rockets are expensive. Really expensive.
Just one Falcon 9 rocket, for example, is worth more than $60 million.
Until recently, it's been impossible to get them back unharmed after we shoot them into orbit. SpaceX proved that this is, in fact, possible after launching Falcon 9 and then safely landing it back on solid ground back in December. The landing set for today will be more practical, since launches over the ocean are more common, but much harder: The landing target is drifting around in the ocean.
If SpaceX proves that it can launch and precisely re-land this and other rocket stages, then reuse them, access to space could get radically less expensive.
SpaceX tried the same challenging maneuver set for tonight last year, but the rocket lost control moments before touchdown:
...And then tipped over onto the barge, exploding into a fireball:
If the conditions aren't right for the 90-minute launch window set for this evening, they have a back up launch window set for tomorrow at the same time, February 25 at 6:46 p.m. ET.
Watch live tonight
Bookmark this page to watch the potentially groundbreaking event live, below.
If the launch window holds for 6:46 p.m. ET, the streaming video footage should begin shortly before then. Coverage should last through roughly 9 p.m. ET.
