The mission was the second Falcon 9 launch of the day for SpaceX. Liftoff occurred at 1:21 a.m. PDT (4:21 a.m. EDT, 0821 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The mission also broke SpaceX's record number of orbital launches achieved in 2023. Liftoff happened at 2:10 a.m. EDT (0610 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The mission featured the launch of NASA’s largest spacecraft bound on a planetary mission. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A happened 12:06 p.m. EDT (1606 UTC).

In one of the most dramatic, high-risk space flights to date, SpaceX launched a gargantuan Super Heavy-Starship rocket on an unpiloted test flight Sunday and then used giant "mechazilla" robot arms on the pad gantry to pluck the returning first stage out of the sky in an unprecedented feat of engineering.

The launch continues SpaceX’s advancement of the rocket, which is key not only to its ambitions, but also to NASA’s Artemis program. Liftoff from Starbase is set for 7 a.m. CDT (1200 UTC), the start of a 30-minute launch window.

The mission is a follow-on from NASA’s planetary defense mission, DART, which succeeded in changing the orbit of an asteroid around its larger neighbor. Liftoff happened at 10:52 a.m. EDT (1452 UTC).

United Launch Alliance fired off a next-generation Vulcan rocket Friday in the second of two "certification" test flights needed before the new launcher can be used to carry high-priority national security payloads for the U.S. Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office. One of two solid-propellant strap-on boosters provided by Northrop Grumman suffered an anomaly of some sort. ULA CEO Tory Bruno said it will be investigated.

The mission, dubbed Cert-2 by United Launch Alliance, is the final mission required before the rocket can begin launching national security missions. Liftoff is set for the beginning of a three-hour window at 6 a.m. EDT (1000 UTC).

The journey to the binary asteroid system, Didymos and its moon, Dimorphos, will take place over a roughly two-year period. The launch window lasts from October 7-27.

The return of a Vulcan rocket to the pad at Space Launch Complex 41 comes as United Launch Alliance steps closer to being able to launch national security missions for the U.S. Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office. Launch is set for Friday, Oct. 4, during a three-hour launch window that opens at 6 a.m. EDT (1000 UTC).