Watch the Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A

Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, did his best to set low expectations heading into the first test flight of the gargantuan Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket this week. “Just don’t blow up the launch pad,” Musk said.

A commercial airlock built in partnership by NanoRacks and Boeing will be connected to the International Space Station in 2019, the companies announced Monday, after the proposed project won preliminary approval from NASA managers.

Watch a time-lapse video as the Falcon Heavy goes vertical at launch pad 39A on December 28, 2017. This video runs at 34 times normal speed.