How to watch the historic SpaceX Falcon 9 launch - and vertical landing

A successful and safe landing of the Falcon 9 rocket booster back on Earth could be a historic moment for space travel

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes off, shortly before it blew up in June 2015 (BRUCE WEAVER/AFP/Getty Images)

Private space transport company SpaceX, which is owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, is set to launch its Falcon 9 rocket at 8:33pm (1:33am GMT) on Monday.

The launch was scheduled to take place at Florida's Cape Canaveral on Sunday evening, but it was postponed after SpaceX weather simulations predicted that the conditions would be better for a launch on Monday.

If the launch does take place and succeed on Monday, it will be significant for two reasons - it will be the first successful launch of the Falcon 9, another version of which blew up after blast-off in June due to a fault in the craft's liquid oxygen tank.

And and even bigger achievement will come if the Falcon 9 successfully touches down after delivering its payload of communications satellites.

Rather than simply falling into the sea, or burning up in the atmosphere and being destroyed like typical space rocket boosters, the Falcon 9 will try to land vertically (and intact) back on the ground after launching its upper capsule into space.

A similar feat was first achieved by Jeff Bezos' competing company Blue Origin in November, after the New Shepard booster landed safely back on Earth.

However, it will be much more difficult for SpaceX to replicate this, since their spacecraft is going much higher and is actually delivering a payload into orbit.

The Falcon 9 has been tested at sea and has come close to a successful landing before, but has always tipped over at the very last minute.

The version of the craft flying on Monday has a better chance of landing due to a number of upgrades and tweaks that have been made since past failures. It will also be touching down on land and not on a boat, providing a much more stable base.

Being able to land a rocket booster back on Earth will allow it to be used again, cutting one of the most significant costs of space travel and setting the stage for more ambitious SpaceX launches in future, like the planned manned mission to the International Space Station in 2017.

Musk said the Falcon 9 had undergone a successful "static fire", paving the way for the planned launch

If UK viewers feel like staying up late to see what could be a truly historic moment, SpaceX will be streaming the whole launch (and hopefully the landing) via their website.

Alternatively, if you're lucky enough to be near Cape Canaveral, Elon Musk has said you'll be able to watch the launch from the public causeway near the space centre.

Residents of nearby communities could also be able to hear a sonic boom as the Falcon 9 passes the speed of sound, although this could vary based on weather conditions.