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At 5:41am EDT, SpaceX launched their final Block 4 first stage, making all future launches the new Block 5 rocket. They launched their Dragon spacecraft en-route to the International Space Station carrying 5,900 pounds of cargo and science experiments.
The Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) and lit up the sky as the 9 Merlin engines ignited. The rocket ascended into the Florida skies and entered the sunlight just before first stage separation, causing the plume of the engines to be illuminated. The plume greatly expanded across the sky bringing an amazing view and even more spectacular images to the state of Florida.
Now, Dragon will be performing a series of maneuvers to align its orbit with the ISS to rendezvous on Monday. Once there, the crew will grab Dragon with the station's robotic arm and then berthed to the station where it will be unloaded. The spacecraft will remain attached to the station for about a month before deorbiting and splashing down just off the coast of California.