SpaceX sent its Falcon 9 rocket blasting off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to send a private communications satellite into orbit Monday on the first launch of 2014.
The rocket soared into space at 5:06 p.m. as temperatures began to drop across Brevard County and the rest of Central Florida, but it wasn't too cold for a successful launch.
On board the Falcon 9 is the Thaicom 6 satellite, which will provide C-band and Ku-band communications services across southeast Asia and Africa once in orbit.
Monday's liftoff was the second commercial satellite launch by SpaceX, with several more scheduled in the coming months. The private company has nearly a dozen rocket launches planned throughout the year.