SpaceX has launched a cargo mission for NASA to the International Space Station (ISS), its fifth launch of the year, after being delayed by a few days due to a couple of issues.

After launching at 2:48 a.m. EDT Saturday, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with approximately 5,500 pounds of NASA cargo and science investigations that include research into Earth's carbon cycle and the formation of asteroids and comets.

About eight minutes after launch, the first stage of the rocket landed successfully on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You several miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. The launch had been delayed from Thursday, May 3 after an electrical issue with the drone ship.

The launch had originally been scheduled to take place earlier this week. But an electrical problem on the ISS caused the mission to be pushed back while the problem was resolved. The spacecraft is set to arrive in the early morning of Monday, May 6.

When it returns to Earth in four weeks, Dragon will bring back about 1,900 kilograms (4,200 pounds) of experiments, hardware, and supplies. Until then the spacecraft will remain attached to the space station.