A SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule is on its way to the International Space Station after launching Friday from the Space Coast.

But it was the Falcon 9 rocket's landing that really got the crowd cheering.

For the first time, SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on their floating barge miles off the Atlantic coast.

SpaceX hopes to reuse the rockets to drive down the costs of launches. This booster could launch in a couple of months after some tests.

"Our thought is to basically fire it 10 times in a row on the ground," said SpaceX founder Elon Musk. "And if that looks good, if things look good at that point, we feel it's qualified for reuse in launch."

It's the company's first launch to the ISS since their Falcon 9 rocket exploded last summer.

The Falcon 9 rocket and its nine Merlin engines roared off of Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station right on time at 4:43 p.m., carrying the Dragon cargo capsule's 7,000 pounds of supplies to the space station.

It was a sigh of relief for NASA and SpaceX, which saw millions of dollars lost this past June when the Falcon 9 rocket exploded shortly after liftoff.

At the Cocoa Beach Pier, hundreds gathered to witness the Falcon 9 rocket soar into orbit.

The Mapes family from Charleston changed their vacation plans to coincide with the launch.

"I had chill bumps. I've never seen anything like this," Kelly Mapes said.

Friday’s resupply flight will carry almost 7,000 pounds of cargo, which includes scientific research, crew supplies and hardware.

One of the experiments that will be on board is the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. The module will attach to the ISS, where it will inflate and become an extra room for astronauts.

Scientists hope the experiment will lead the way for installing inflatable space stations around Earth, the moon or even Mars. It could also make space travel easier and cheaper.

The Dragon capsule is also carrying a science experiment from three Hillsborough County sixth-graders who are trying to find out whether cotton can grow in space. Their experiment was destroyed in the June explosion, and they're relieved they had the chance to replace the experiment and get it back on today's cargo spacecraft.

"It was really sad, because we saw all of our hard work just disappear in front of us," said Karinna Crespo, 12. "But it was also kind of good because we got to work on it, and we noticed what we needed to improve on our project. It kind of helped us figure out what else we could do to make our project better."

Crespo, Chandrika Ganduri and Casey Utsler were allowed to replace their experiment and fly it again today's SpaceX rocket.

When the Dragon capsule arrives at the ISS on Sunday, it will mark the first time two American commercial spacecraft will be at the ISS at the same time. Last month, a Cygnus spacecraft launched on an Atlas V rocket from the Cape, delivering cargo to the space station.

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