Posted: Fri, Jun 4, 2010, 4:36 PM ET (2036 GMT)
Falcon 9, a new launch vehicle developed by entrepreneurial space company SpaceX, successfully lifted off Friday afternoon and placed a test payload into orbit. The rocket lifted off at 2:45 pm EDT (1845 GMT) and placed a demonstration model of the Dragon spacecraft into low Earth orbit, according to the company; specifics about the orbit altitude and inclination were not immediately available. A previous attempt was scrubbed just seconds before liftoff at 1:30 pm EDT (1730 GMT) because of an engine parameter problem. Prior to the launch SpaceX founder Elon Musk predicted a 70-80% chance of a successful launch, adding that he hoped to at least demonstrate both stages of the rocket during this test.

Related Links:

•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  SPACE.com article
•  Orlando Sentinel article
•  MSNBC article
•  Spaceflight Now mission status center