Washington, Mar 5 (EFE).– U.S. private aerospace company SpaceX successfully launched a commercial communications satellite into orbit but later failed to land the rocket that carried it on a drone ship at sea.

The SES-9 satellite, owned by Luxembourg-based communications satellite operator SES, entered into orbit at 6:35 p.m. local time Friday after being launched by a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

But SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that the Falcon 9 rocket subsequently “landed hard on the droneship,” adding that he “didn’t expect this to work.”

Three earlier attempts by SpaceX to land a rocket on a drone ship at sea also failed, although the third attempt was nearly successful.

The company had said that a successful landing was doubtful on this occasion because the amount of fuel needed for the launch of the heavy satellite left little for the powered landing.

SpaceX landed one of its rockets on solid ground for the first time in December, but landing one at sea is more difficult because ships offer a smaller and less predictable target.

The SES-9 will provide “expansion and replacement capacity to serve the video, enterprise, mobility and government sectors in fast-growing markets across Northeast Asia, South Asia and Indonesia,” SpaceX said in a press release on Feb. 23. EFE