Tonight's launch was SpaceX's 54th Falcon 9 mission of 2025 and 56th liftoff so far this year. The other two missions involved Starship, SpaceX's next-generation super-heavy-lift rocket. The company is gearing up for another Starship test flight — the vehicle's ninth overall — in the coming weeks.

Hours before liftoff, the National Weather Service had issued flood advisories up until 8:45 p.m. Friday for portions of rain-socked North Brevard.

This mission is slated as the Space Coast's 40th orbital launch of 2025 from the Space Force installation and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center.