Watch Elon Musk's Second Attempt to Land a SpaceX Rocket Because 'close, but no cigar' simply isn't good enough.
By Jason Fell
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
UPDATE: The launch has been postponed -- again. SpaceX says it is now scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, at 6:03 p.m. ET.
Trailblazing tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has something to prove. Earlier this month, Musk's SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket and attempted to land it on a floating platform in the Atlantic ocean. The 14-story-tall rocket took off without a hitch, but it botched its landing, bouncing off the deck of the barge.
"Close, but no cigar," is how Musk described the failed landing. And for any entrepreneur worth his salt, "close" simply isn't good enough.
SpaceX will try again today. At 6:10 p.m. EST, a new Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Like last time, the rocket will soar up into space, then use GPS tracking to land itself smoothly on the platform.
In case you're not familiar, SpaceX is a company Musk founded in 2002 to "revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets."
Related: Google, Fidelity Invest $1 Billion in SpaceX to Spread Internet Access Across the Globe
In addition to launching and hopefully landing the rocket, it will carry the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) "Deep Space Climate Observatory." The instrument will detach once the pair reach space. It will be used to monitor solar winds generated by the sun that can cause disruption of telecommunications and GPS on Earth.
You can watch the launch event right here at 6:10 p.m.:
Related: Elon Musk to Build 'Hyperloop' Track, Likely in Texas
