Photos: Falcon takes flight

NASA expects to select commercial contractors to resupply the International Space Station in September, three months later than the agency’s previous timetable under a competition for cargo deliveries beginning in 2018.

The spacecraft was originally slated to launch nearly a week prior, but SpaceX ran into ground systems issues. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 6:09 p.m. PST (9:09 p.m. EST / 0209 UTC).

The launch came on the heels of a record month for the company, which saw 12 Falcon 9 flights. Liftoff happened at 5:12 a.m. EDT (0912 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40.