Photos: Falcon takes flight

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ignited its nine kerosene-fueled Merlin engines on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral on Tuesday evening in a critical milestone before liftoff with a commercial Thai communications satellite later in the week.

The overnight launch marked the second Falcon 9 flight since the July 11 mishap that grounded the rocket. Liftoff happened at 1:09 a.m. EDT (0509 UTC).

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida happened Monday at 8:35 a.m. EDT (1235 UTC), after four earlier attempts were scrubbed.