Private rocket blasts off for ISS

Rocket blasts off on Sunday as it heads for space carrying the company's Dragon CRX-1 spacecraft from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP)

A commercial cargo craft has been blasted into orbit bound for the International Space Station, the first of a dozen supply runs under a mega-contract with Nasa.

SpaceX's unmanned Falcon rocket roared into the night sky late on Sunday, putting the company on track to reach the space station tomorrow.

It was the second launch of a Dragon capsule to the orbiting lab by the California-based SpaceX company, but this time was no test flight. The spacecraft carried 450kg of science experiments and other precious gear, along with ice cream tucked in a freezer for the three station residents.

AP