"SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 Rocket But Calls Off Barge Landing"

"Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX blasted a government weather satellite into orbit on Wednesday, but the company called off its much anticipated attempt at landing the rocket on an ocean barge.

The Falcon 9 rocket carried a satellite that had been proposed 17 years ago by then Vice President Al Gore. Its primary purpose is to provide early warning of solar storms that scientists say can disrupt power grids and potentially cause mass blackouts.

Three hours before the liftoff from Cape Canaveral, SpaceX said rough seas had forced it to cancel the attempt to land the rocket’s first stage on a barge – which it calls the drone ship -- stationed several hundred miles off Florida’s coast."

Melody Petersen reports for the Los Angeles Times February 11, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"After Plenty Of Starts And Stops, Satellite DSCOVR Starts Its Million-Mile Journey" (NPR)

"New Satellite – DSCOVR – To Monitor Potentially Damaging Solar Winds" (Capital Weather Gang/Washington Post)