Watch the Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A

As Hurricane Matthew churns ever closer to the United States, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station have begun preparations for possible impacts from the storm.

Astronauts Terry Virts and space station commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore ventured back outside Sunday for their third spacewalk in eight days to complete initial preparations for upcoming dockings by commercially developed Boeing and SpaceX crew ferry ships.

SpaceX completed another another launch to add to the company’s Starlink broadband network Thursday. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 8:46 a.m. EDT (1246 GMT) Thursday from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.