Watch the Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A

A NASA instrument built to help astronomers learn about the structure and behavior of neutron stars, super-dense stellar skeletons left behind by massive explosions, has been mounted to an observation post outside the International Space Station after delivery aboard a SpaceX supply ship earlier this month.

The mission to the orbiting outpost featured three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut who will spend roughly 180 days on the space station. Liftoff occurred at 10:53 p.m. EST (0353 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

The Starlink 17-28 mission is the 58th mission launching the broadband satellites into low Earth orbit. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base occurred at 9:39:06 a.m. PDT (12:39:06 p.m. EDT / 1639:06 UTC).