Q&A with Josef Aschbacher, director of ESA’s Earth observation programs (members only)

Launching with a Spanish radar observation craft and the first two experimental satellites for SpaceX’s planned global broadband network, a Falcon 9 rocket fired away from California’s Central Coast shortly before sunrise Thursday after several days of delays.

Bad weather offshore has forced SpaceX and NASA to delay Thursday’s planned launch of the Crew Dragon by a day. Better conditions are expected on Friday for a 5:49 a.m. EDT (0949 GMT) liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center.

Three days after launching from Cape Canaveral, SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft has arrived at the International Space Station with around 5,600 pounds of supplies and experiments. The automated, unpiloted supply ship was snared by the station’s robotic arm at 7:21 a.m. EST (1221 GMT) Saturday.