The mission, dubbed KF-02, is the fourth flight to date of Project Kuiper satellites. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 8:57 a.m. EDT (1257 UTC) on Sunday, Aug. 10.
The mission represented a short turnaround time for a national security mission, launching just three months after getting the call up from the government. Liftoff occurred at 1:37 p.m. EDT (1737 UTC).
SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy rocket fired up 27 main engines Wednesday on launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending a crackling rumble across the swampy spaceport and moving the heavy-lifter a step closer to its oft-delayed maiden flight as soon as next week.