Liftoff! Dragon Begins Its Journey to Space

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center on June 3, 2021.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft atop, lifts off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on June 3, 2021, for the company’s 22nd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff occurred at 1:29 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA

We have liftoff! At 1:29 p.m. EDT, with partly cloudy skies serving as the backdrop, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket climbs away from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida, carrying the Dragon spacecraft on the company’s 22nd cargo resupply mission.

Slated to arrive at the International Space Station on Saturday, June 5, Dragon will deliver more than 7,300 pounds of science and research experiments, crew supplies, and vehicle hardware. Coming up in just one minute, the rocket will pass through Max Q – the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket. Following this, the Falcon 9’s first and second stage will separate.