In Photos: SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Inmarsat-5 F4 Communications Satellite

On May 15, 2017, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Inmarsat-5 F4 communications satellite into orbit from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. See launch photos here.

This long-exposure view shows the stunning launch of the Falcon 9 as evening sets in at its Cape Canaveral, Florida launch site.

A stunning view of SpaecX’s launch of Inmarsat-5 F4. SpaceX did not return the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage to Earth in a landing on this mission due to the size of the Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite.

A close-up view of the Falcon 9 lifting off from NASA’s historic launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. The launch was SpaceX’s first for customer Inmarsat.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 15, 2017.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the Inmarsat-5 F4 communications satellite rise off the launch pad on May 15, 2017.

The Falcon 9 rocket and Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite continue to climb into the Florida skies on May 15, 2017.

Close-up of the Falcon 9’s first-stage engines burning brightly shortly after liftoff.

The view from the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage (left) and second stage (right) a little more than 3 minutes after liftoff on May 15, 2017.

The Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite and its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sit on the pad just minutes before the duo’s May 15, 2017 liftoff.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch the Inmarsat-5 F4 communications satellite on May 15, 2017.

SpaceX performed a static-fire test of a Falcon 9 rocket on May 11, 2017, keeping the booster on track to launch the Inmarsat 5 F4 communications satellite on May 15.

The Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite is seen during launch preparations. The satellite is the first to be launched by SpaceX for Inmarsat.

SpaceX’s mission emblem for the Falcon 9 rocket launching the Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite on May 15, 2017.