Story highlights SpaceX makes history after it lands rocket successfully on ship

Elon Musk hopes that by reusing parts of the rocket, launches can be more frequent

Kennedy Space Center, Florida. (CNN) If at first you don't succeed, try until you make history.

For the first time, SpaceX has successfully landed part of its Falcon 9 rocket on a drone ship. That occurred in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday afternoon.

SpaceX launched the rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 4:43 p.m., sending the Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station.

Elon Musk, head of the private space exploration company, held a press conference with NASA after liftoff to speak about the launch and the landing of the rocket at sea -- a feat that was attempted numerous times by SpaceX in the past.

"What was different about this [landing] is that the rocket landed instead of putting a hole in the ship or tipping over," Musk joked.

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