SpaceX plans to land a spacecraft on a launch pad floating on the ocean, a strategy that neither NASA nor any other space agency has yet attempted.

The Dragon capsule will transport supplies and cargo to the International Space Station on December 16, Tuesday. After the launch, the Dragon capsule will separate itself from the Falcon 9 booster and mission planners will guide the rocket back to a soft landing on the ocean  platform.

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Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch at 2:32 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. This will mark SpaceX's fifth mission to transport supplies to the ISS, and the first to touch down on a floating landing platform.

Elon Musk, founder and owner of SpaceX, strongly believes reusable rockets can ultimately lower space travel costs by as much as 99 percent. When this is successful, Mars colonization will be deemed possible and humans will migrate to an alien planet for the first time in history.

According to Musk, figuring out how to reuse rockets as airplanes will significantly cut the cost of space access. Using a fully reusable vehicle can revolutionize spaceflight and even boost space tourism.  

The Falcon 9 booster rocket is specifically outfitted with four special stabilizing wings to balance the booster before touchdown. Musk adds these grid fins will be deployed upon ascent and re-entry in a Star Wars "X-wing" maneuver. Each fin can be moved independently.

Last April, SpaceX conducted a test flight for an F9R prototype rocket that included a Falcon 9 booster. The booster splashed down in the ocean but stormy weather prevented recovery after the first stage of the test flight. The second test flight landed in the ocean in July.

Last October, the unmanned Antares rocket carrying supplies and cargo for the ISS crew exploded just a few seconds after lift-off.

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