--- title: SpaceX Launches Dragon 9 Rocket at Cape Canaveral description: After a delay the spacecraft was launched Friday on a cargo supply mission to the International Space Station canonical: https://time.com/68609/spacex-launch-rocket-launch-dragon-9/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-18T20:12:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:08:27.711Z article:section: Science og:title: SpaceX Launches Dragon 9 Rocket at Cape Canaveral og:description: After a delay the spacecraft was launched Friday on a cargo supply mission to the International Space Station og:url: https://time.com/68609/spacex-launch-rocket-launch-dragon-9/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81b3d235348e9541/69868b5d810bbb745cc91201/2014-04-18_14h25m28s_0.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 2014-04-18_14h25m28s_0 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: SpaceX Launches Dragon 9 Rocket at Cape Canaveral twitter:description: After a delay the spacecraft was launched Friday on a cargo supply mission to the International Space Station twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81b3d235348e9541/69868b5d810bbb745cc91201/2014-04-18_14h25m28s_0.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # SpaceX Launches Rocket Into Orbit by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Apr 18, 2014 8:12 PM UTC  The SpaceX Flacon 9 rocket launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida The SpaceX Flacon 9 rocket launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in FloridaNASA by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Apr 18, 2014 8:12 PM UTC SpaceX [launched](http://www.nasa.gov/content/spacex-dragon-heads-to-space-station-astronauts-prep-for-wednesday-spacewalk/#.U1GBFuZdVdp) its cargo mission Friday at 3:25 p.m. EDT afternoon to supply innovative equipment to the International Space Station from the Launch Complex at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Dragon 9 rocket launched by the privately-owned company (headed by Tesla’s Elon Musk) is carrying food, science experiments and a set of legs for Robonaut 2, a humanoid NASA robot on the space station. Its Falcon spacecraft is carrying a total of 5,000 pounds of supplies. ### PHOTOS: See SpaceX's Biggest Milestones  SpaceX embarked on its first deep space mission with the launch of this Falcon 9 rocket on Feb. 11, 2015 at Cape Canaveral, Fla., after two previous failed attempts. Onboard is the Deep Space Climate Observatory, which will head 1 million miles from Earth to watch for incoming geomagnetic storms that could trigger power outages on our planet. John Raoux—AP  On May 29, 2014, SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk (not pictured) unveiled the company's first manned spacecraft, Dragon V2, at a press conference in Hawthorne, Calif., on May 29, 2014. SpaceX  A rocket carrying the SpaceX Dragon ship lifts off from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on April 18, 2014. John Raoux—AP  Falcon 9 awaits its upcoming launch in SpaceX's hangar with landing legs attached on March 12, 2014. SpaceX  SpaceX's Falcon 9 launches with Thailand’s Thaicom 6 satellite aboard, on Jan. 6, 2014 from Cape Canaveral SpaceX  SpaceX's Falcon 9 launches from Cape Canaveral, on Nov. 28, 2013. SpaceX  SpaceX's Falcon 9 rolls out of the hangar on Nov. 28, 2013. SpaceX  A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a small science satellite for Canada is launched from a newly refurbished launch pad in Vandenberg Air Force Station in California, on Sept. 29, 2013. Gene Blevins—Reuters  SpaceX's reusable rocket prototype, Grasshopper, completes a 1,066-ft. (325 meter) hop on June 14, 2013 before landing back on the pad. SpaceX  A SpaceX component preparing for testing in the world's largest vacuum chamber at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. SpaceX  SpaceX's Dragon on the recovery boat on April 13, 2013. NASA  SpaceX's Dragon is grappled by the International Space Station on April 13, 2013. NASA  SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket leaves the hangar at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 8, 2013. SpaceX  Nine Merlin engines for the inaugural Falcon 9 flight, ready to be installed in the booster, on March 8, 2013. SpaceX  From left: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk view the Dragon capsule that returned to Earth on May 31, 2012 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station, at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas, on June 13, 2012. Bill Ingalls—NASA/Reuters  SpaceX's unmanned Dragon capsule floats in the Pacific Ocean off of Baja California on May 31, 2012. SpaceX/Reuters  SpaceX's Dragon commercial cargo craft is berthed to the International Space Station on May 25, 2012. NASA/Reuters  A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft blasts off from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, on May 22, 2012. Red Huber—MCT/Getty Images  The SpaceX Falcon 9 test rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral on May 22, 2012. Pierre Ducharme—Reuters  SpaceX'S Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lift off from Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral, on Dec. 8, 2010. NASA—Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images  From left: President Barack Obama and Head of SpaceX Elon Musk tour Cape Canaveral, on April 15, 2010. Jim Young—Reuters  On April 22, 2008, Musk's company landed NASA's launch services contract for Falcon 1 and 9 rockets. Here, the SpaceX factory in Los Angeles is shown on Nov. 21, 2008. Dan Tuffs—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/68609/spacex-launch-rocket-launch-dragon-9/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/68609/spacex-launch-rocket-launch-dragon-9/"},"headline":"SpaceX Launches Rocket Into Orbit","datePublished":"2014-04-18T20:12:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:08:27.711Z","description":"After a delay Monday due to a helium leak, the privately-owned company's spacecraft was launched Friday on a cargo supply mission to the International Space Station. 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