SpaceX launches cargo ship to International Space Station

SpaceX launched an unpiloted Dragon cargo ship Friday loaded with 6,500 pounds of supplies and equipment bound for the International Space Station, including nearly a ton of research gear, samples and other material for some 50 different science investigations. Running three days late because of bad weather, the Dragon's Falcon 9 booster roared to life at 6:05 p.m. ET, blasting off from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and arcing away to the northeast in line with the station's orbit. A SpaceX Falon 9 rocket climbs away from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying a Dragon cargo ship loaded with equipment and supplies bound for the International Space Station. NASA/SpaceX Two and a half minutes after liftoff, the rocket's first stage, making its sixth flight, fell away and flew itself back to an on-target touchdown on a landing pad near the launch gantry. The second stage continued the climb to orbit, releasing the Cargo Dragon to fly on its own nine minutes and 20 seconds after launch. A camera on the Falcon 9 first stage shows the view looking down as it neared its Cape Canaveral landing pad, while a camera on the ground captured a dramatic view of the lander's final descent. NASA/SpaceX It was SpaceX's 638th Falcon 9 launch since the rocket's debut in 2010, the company's 56th such flight so far this year and its 611th successful booster recovery. …