Watch: SpaceX Rocket Successfully Returns to Base After Launch

The mission was scheduled for Saturday but was halted a mere 13 seconds before the blastoff.

Falcon 9 takes off from the launch site. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Elon Musk)

A SpaceX Falcon rocket blasted off on Sunday from a Florida launch pad, once used to send NASA astronauts to the moon.

The 229-foot tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 soared off a seaside launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center at 9:39 am EST (1439 GMT), carrying a Dragon cargo ship that holds supplies and science experiments for the station. Nine minutes after blastoff, the rocket booster successfully landed on the ground, making this SpaceX’s eighth successful landing and the third on land.

The launch was scheduled for Saturday, but was halted 13 seconds before take-off and subsequently postponed to Sunday due to concerns about the steering system in the rocket's upper stage.

(With inputs from Reuters and NBC News.)

Also Read: Elon Musk Thinks ISRO is Awesome, Says It’s Making India Proud