SpaceX rocket crashes as it attempts ocean landing

A SpaceX rocket crashed as it came down hard during an attempt to make a world-first landing on a floating ocean platform.

The space company, owned by Elon Musk, said it had successfully sent a scientific NASA satellite into space but the return was less smooth.

Dramatic video posted by Mr Musk on Instagram showed the rocket coming down to land before toppling over and exploding.

He wrote on social media: "Falcon lands on droneship, but the lockout collet doesn't latch on one the four legs, causing it to tip over post landing. Root cause may have been ice buildup due to condensation from heavy fog at liftoff."

Less than an hour earlier, the rocket had blasted off from California to launch a NASA Jason-3 satellite designed to monitor changes in the sea.

Once in orbit, it will be able to mark changes in sea level of as little as 0.5 cm, allowing scientists to better understand the impact of climate change.

However, an attempt to score an ocean landing coup on the rocket's return went wrong.

Two earlier attempts at an ocean landing last year also failed.

SpaceX last month managed to land one of its rockets safely back on solid ground - a key step towards developing reusable rockets that could be sent into space more than once.

An ocean landing, while more difficult, would allow the company to recover rockets used in more demanding missions when its boosters do not have enough fuel left to reach land.