Elon Musk's SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on December 8, 2010, carrying the Dragon space capsule into low-Earth orbit. This marked the first time a commercial company had launched, orbited and recovered a spacecraft. The launch demonstrated SpaceX's ability to design and operate spacecraft and help pave the way for commercial cargo and crew missions to the International Space Station.