SpaceX, the private space transport company founded by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, has made another successful rocket landing at sea.
The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket booster gently touched down on the deck of an unmanned ship off the coast of Florida in the early hours of 6 May, after delivering a Japanese satellite into space.
SpaceX has struggled with landing at sea in the past - Falcon 9 boosters have successfully made vertical landings on solid ground, but most of the company's attempts to land on ships have failed.
SpaceX first made a sea-based landing at the start of April, so this latest touchdown represents the second successful attempt in the company's history.
Usually, space rocket boosters detach at high altitudes, falling back to Earth and crashing into the sea or burning up in the atmosphere. New boosters then have to be constructed for subsequent flights, at great cost.
But by landing a booster softly, SpaceX can refurbish it and use it again, making a trip to space much cheaper.
The latest landing was especially impressive, since the booster was travelling much faster as it descended back to Earth than in previous flights.
Writing on Twitter, Elon Musk celebrated the landing, and joked: "May need to increase size of rocket hangar."
The company has made impressive progress since it was founded in 2002. As well as perfecting the vertical rocket landing, SpaceX has been awarded lucrative Nasa contracts to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.
The company also announced it is planning to send one of its Dragon capsules to Mars as early as 2018, using its new Falcon Heavy rockets.
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