Hawthorne, California - Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk's California-based space launch firm has become the first commercial company to receive a Federal Aviation Administration licence to allow an orbiting spacecraft to return to Earth.
Hawthorne-based SpaceX says the FAA issued the licence on Monday.
SpaceX plans a December launch of one of its Falcon 9 rockets carrying a capsule dubbed Dragon. The mission calls for the capsule to go into low-Earth orbit then re-enter the atmosphere and land in the ocean.
So far, only six nations or governmental agencies have performed the feat.
The SpaceX mission will be performed under a Nasa programme to develop commercial supply service to the international space station.
SpaceX hopes to one day carry astronauts aboard its Dragon capsules. - AP