Video: SpaceX test-fires Falcon 9 rocket at pad 40 (members only)

A top secret surveillance payload owned by the National Reconnaissance Office soared into space Saturday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on top of a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket, entering an unusual orbit not previously used by the U.S. government’s spy satellite fleet.

The Starlink 10-25 mission will also set a new reuse milestone for the first stage booster, which is flying for a record-setting 29th time. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 2:28 a.m. EDT (0628 UTC).

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will go from Cape Canaveral to low Earth orbit in less than 10 minutes Friday night with a Dragon capsule heading for the International Space Station carrying more than 4,300 pounds of supplies and experiments.