Photos: Falcon takes flight

Prior to launch, SpaceX sent 656 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit so far this year. Liftoff of the Starlink 6-55 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 10:37 p.m. EDT (0237 UTC).

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will go from Cape Canaveral to low Earth orbit in 10 minutes Friday with a Dragon capsule heading for the International Space Station carrying more than 4,800 pounds of supplies and experiments.

The first satellite in a new class of ultra-powerful communications satellites for Intelsat lifted off Wednesday aboard the first Ariane 5 flight of the year. Launch from French Guiana occurred at 2320 GMT (6:20 p.m. EST).