Falcon 9 SpaceX successfully launches NASA’s PACE mission on polar orbit flight February 5, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith The mission is the first of the year for NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the Kennedy Space Center. The Falcon 9 rocket is lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:33 a.m. EST (0633 UTC) on Feb. 8.