A final set of photos shows Friday’s Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral with the SES 9 communications satellite.
The 229-foot-tall rocket lifted off at 6:35 p.m. EST (2335 GMT) from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad, soaring east over the Atlantic Ocean about 10 minutes after sunset.
Consuming a super-chilled mix of kerosene and liquid oxygen, the rocket climbed into sunlight shortly after launch, giving spectators on the ground a spectacular view of staging and the release of the Falcon 9’s clamshell-like payload fairing.
The launch carried the SES 9 communications satellite, adding another member to the satellite fleet owned by Luxembourg-based SES, one of the world’s largest commercial spacecraft operators.
Friday’s flight marked the 22nd Falcon 9 flight since its debut in June 2010, and the second Falcon 9 launch of 2016.
Photo credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Scriptunas Images
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