( CNN ) The private spaceflight company SpaceX will launch another mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday , but the real highlight of the event could be back on Earth . A Falcon 9 rocket will lift the cargo into orbit , and for the first time , the company will try to land the rocket 's first stage on a floating platform . Traditionally , rockets have been designed to fall back to Earth after separating from the spacecraft they lifted , and then burn up on reentry or crash into the ocean . The millions of dollars that go into the production of the rockets burn , too . SpaceX wants to pioneer a reusable rocket , a development that could change the economics of space travel . `` A fully and rapidly reusable rocket -- which has never been done before -- is the pivotal breakthrough needed to substantially reduce the cost of space access , '' SpaceX said in a news release . The company has twice attempted soft landings of the Falcon 9 's first stage on water . Those tests showed that the rocket is capable of reducing its speed from hypersonic to nearly zero , and deploy landing legs . In those tests , the rocket tipped sideways and crashed into the ocean , causing damage that made the rocket unusable . That was according to plan , SpaceX said . On Tuesday , the company will try the same soft landing for the Falcon 9 's first stage , but this time on a custom-built floating platform it calls the autonomous spaceport drone ship . Landing on the platform `` is significantly more challenging '' than the water landings , the company said . For one , the platform is not anchored , and while the platform looks large from the ground , it is a rather small target for the 14-story-tall rocket . SpaceX described reentry and landing as `` trying to balance a rubber broomstick on your hand in the middle of a wind storm . '' The company puts the odds of success at 50 % at best . It adds , however , that this is just the first of a number of tests toward the goal of landing a rocket stage for reuse . As for Tuesday 's target , `` X '' marks the spot : The company will try to land the rocket stage on the SpaceX logo painted on the center of the floating platform .
SpaceX is scheduled to launch a rocket Tuesday . The unmanned Dragon capsule will be the first of its kind and carry about 5,500 pounds (2,200 kilograms) worth of supplies for NASA. There is at best a 50 % chance this attempt will succeed , SpaceX says .