Watch a time-lapse of the Crew Dragon access arm installation (members only)

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday, powering a commercial Dragon cargo ship into orbit while trying a dicey descent maneuver to return to landing on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX says the booster touched down hard and tipped over after landing.

Bill Shepherd, a former Navy SEAL-turned astronaut who arrived at the International Space Station 20 years ago Monday to begin the continuous occupancy of the orbiting research outpost, says the experience gained by NASA and its global partners over the last two decades provides a blueprint for missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.

A European satellite hosting a spaceborne laser crafted to measure winds in Earth’s atmosphere rode a Vega launcher into orbit Wednesday from French Guiana, a thundering sendoff for a three-year mission that could improve global weather forecasts.