Falcon 9 goes upright after sunrise in time-lapse video

It didn’t go into space, but SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule fired off a launch pad at Cape Canaveral on Wednesday for a 99-second test flight to demonstrate a crucial safety mechanism that would save astronauts from a catastrophic rocket failure. View photos of the human-rated spacecraft’s first flight.

An upgraded Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle carrying more fuel and standing taller than earlier GSLV variants took off Wednesday from an Indian spaceport and delivered a new communications satellite to orbit for the Indian Air Force.

The slide system differs notably from the slide wire basket system used over at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. NASA officials said pad 40 will be ready for astronaut launches this year.