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VideoLive coverage: Falcon 9 blasts off with X-37B mini-shuttle
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Thursday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the U.S. Air Force's X-37B mini-shuttle, an unpiloted orbiting military laboratory. Liftoff occurred at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), and the Falcon 9's first stage booster successfully landed at Cape Canaveral a few minutes later.
SpaceX readies rocket to launch military spaceplane into orbit
With an eye on dangerous Hurricane Irma's forecast path toward Florida, SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force are proceeding with preparations to launch an unpiloted reusable military spaceship Thursday on a mission to conduct experiments in orbit, deploy multiple small satellites and glide back to Earth for a runway landing after months or years in space.
Photos: Military mini-shuttle transferred to SpaceX launch pad
Cocooned inside the nose cone of its Falcon 9 rocket booster, the U.S. Air Force's X-37B spaceplane journeyed from a former space shuttle hangar at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, past the Vehicle Assembly Building and toward launch pad 39A last week ahead of liftoff Thursday.
Falcon 9 rocket fired up for launch of military mini-shuttle
Running through a practice countdown and hold-down engine firing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket passed a key checkpoint Thursday ahead of liftoff next week with the U.S. Air Force’s fifth X-37B spaceplane flight, a mission that will come with several firsts.
Video: SpaceX rocket runs through hotfire test at pad 39A
SpaceX's next Falcon 9 rocket ignited its Merlin main engines for several seconds Thursday at Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A ahead of a planned launch next week.
Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket fired up for hold-down test
SpaceX's next Falcon 9 rocket arrived at Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A on Thursday for a hold-down engine firing ahead of launch next week with the U.S. Air Force's X-37B spaceplane. The brief engine ignition occurred at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT).
Photos: SpaceX rocket climbs into orbit from Vandenberg
The launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Aug. 24 from California delivered Taiwan's Formosat 5 Earth-imaging satellite to orbit, and the Falcon's first stage booster returned to landing on a drone ship downrange in the Pacific Ocean.
Taiwanese satellite rides SpaceX rocket into orbit
Flying with an exceptionally lightweight payload, a Falcon 9 rocket delivered a multipurpose research satellite into a nearly 450-mile-high orbit Thursday for Taiwan following a smooth countdown and liftoff from California's Central Coast.
Watch a replay of the Falcon 9 launch and landing
Watch a replay of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California carrying Taiwan’s Formosat 5 Earth observation satellite.
Falcon 9 launch timeline with Formosat 5
Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket's ascent to orbit with the Formosat 5 Earth observation satellite for Taiwan's National Space Organization.