Drone’s view of Sunday’s SpaceX rocket landing

The crew trained for more than two-and-a-half years to prepare for their spacewalk and an on-orbit Starlink demonstration. Launch is now no earlier than Friday, Aug. 30, weather permitting.

Running nearly two months late after technical concerns prevented liftoff last year, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fired into the sky Sunday night from Cape Canaveral with a top secret payload for the U.S. government, the first of some 30 launches on the company’s docket in 2018.

SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket arrived at launch pad 39A Thursday for a customary hold-down engine firing. Liftoff from Florida’s Space Coast is targeted for Sunday, weather permitting.