shipment of groceries to International Space Station

SpaceX has successfully launched a shipment of groceries to the International Space Station, including the first espresso maker in orbit.

But its attempt to land the leftover booster on an ocean platform did not go nearly as well.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said after Tuesday's liftoff that the rocket landed on the platform floating a few hundred miles off Florida's northeastern coast. But he said via Twitter that it landed too hard to survive.

This was the third attempt at a vertical landing of a first-stage booster rocket. The first two also were unsuccessful.

The main mission, however, went off without a hitch. The Dragon supply ship, filled with more than 4,000 pounds of space station groceries and equipment, should reach the space station on Friday.