SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launches Jason-3 (11 images)

First stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket attempts a landing aboard the spaceport drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" on January 17, 2016. A lockout collet failed to latch on one the four legs, causing it to tip over post landing. The rocket was returning from having lifted the Jason-3 spacecraft into orbit. Jason-3, an international mission led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will help continue U.S.-European satellite measurements of global ocean height changes. Photo by SpaceX/UPI

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the Jason-3 spacecraft. Liftoff was at 10:42 a.m. PST (1:42 p.m. EST) on January 17, 2016. Photo by SpaceX/UPI

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen in this 30 second exposure as it launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 East with the Jason-3 spacecraft onboard, on January 17, 2016, in California. NASA Photo by Bill Ingalls/UPI

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the Jason-3 spacecraft. Liftoff was at 10:42 a.m. PST (1:42 p.m. EST) on January 17, 2016. Photo by SpaceX/UPI