However, in a question-and-answer session Jan. 5 on the website Reddit.com, Musk backed away from his 50-percent prediction. “I pretty much made that up,” he said. “I have no idea.” Credit: MIT Aero Astro Symposium

WASHINGTON — Space Exploration Technologies Corp. will attempt to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean on its next mission, although the company’s chief executive warned of potentially low odds of success.

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