UPDATE 3-SpaceX launches rocket from historic NASA pad in Florida

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb 19 (Reuters) - A SpaceX Falcon rocket blasted off on Sunday from a Florida launch pad once used to send NASA astronauts to the moon, a step forward for billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and his company's goal of ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station. The 229-foot tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 soared off a seaside launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center at 9:39 a.m. ET (1439 GMT) carrying a Dragon cargo ship bound for the station.