In Photos: SpaceX's 1st Launch from NASA's Historic Pad 39A

Liftoff from Pad 39A!

SpaceX

On Feb. 19, 2017, SpaceX launched its first Falcon 9 rocket mission from NASA's historic Apollo-era Launch Pad 39A. See photos of the flight here. THIS IMAGE: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches a Dragon cargo mission for NASA from the historic Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Feb. 19, 2017. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

Next Stop, Space

SpaceX

SpaceX's first Falcon 9 rocket to launch from NASA's historic Launch Pad 39A soars into the sky to launch the tenth Dragon cargo mission for NASA from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Feb. 19, 2017. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Landing Approach

SpaceX

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket approaches the company's Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida after successfully launching a Dragon cargo mission for NASA from the historic Launch Pad 39A on Feb. 19, 2017. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

Falcon 9 Coming In for Landing: SpaceX-10

NASA TV

This still from a NASA TV webcast shows a Space feed of the Falcon 9 booster returning to land (right) and a view from the booster itself before touchdown on Feb. 19, 2017 on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

Dragon Capsule Separation

NASA TV/SpaceX

SpaceX's Dragon capsule separates from its Falcon 9 booster in this view from the rocket captured during the launch of SpaceX's tenth cargo mission for NASA on Feb. 19, 2017. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch with Pad 39A Flag

Ralph Martinez/NASA

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches its first cargo mission for NASA from the agency's historic Pad 39A, with a U.S. flag and NASA countdown clock in the foreground, in this view from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Feb. 19, 2018. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

SpaceX-10 Dragon Spreads Wing Over Earth

SpaceX

A Dragon cargo ship unfurls a solar array with the Earth below in this still image from a SpaceX webcast of the the company's 10th respply mission launch for NASA on Feb. 19, 2017. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 Lifts Off from 39A

Kim Shiflett/NASA

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule filled with NASA cargo lifts off from the U.S. space agency's historic Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Feb. 19, 2017. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

Dragon's Solar Wing Unfurls

SpaceX

This still from a SpaceX webcast shows a solar array unfolding from the SpaceX-10 Dragon cargo ship after launching the company's 10th resupply mission for NASA on Feb. 19, 2017. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

Amazing SpaceX Rocket Stage Sep

SpaceX

This spectacular view from Falcon 9's second stage shows the first stage falling away (near the second stage engine nozzle) with the Earth providing a stunning backdrop during the SpaceX-10/CRS-10 cargo launch for NASA on Feb. 19, 2017. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

Falcon 9 View of Earth and Space

SpaceX

The view from a camera mounted to the Falcon 9 booster first stage during its return to Earth on Feb. 19, 2017 after launching a Dragon cargo mission for NASA. Read the Full Story | Launch Video | Rocket Landing Video

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Hanneke Weitering
Contributing expert

Hanneke Weitering is a multimedia journalist in the Pacific Northwest reporting on the future of aviation at FutureFlight.aero and Aviation International News and was previously the Editor for Spaceflight and Astronomy news here at Space.com. As an editor with over 10 years of experience in science journalism she has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos.