The mission soars into the clouds over Space Launch Complex 40 carrying the Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station.

The SpaceX-3 mission soars into the clouds over Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was during an instantaneous window at 3:25 p.m. EDT.

Dragon is making its fourth trip to the space station. The SpaceX-3 mission, carrying almost 2.5 tons of supplies, technology and science experiments, is the third of 12 flights through a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support more than 150 experiments that will be conducted during the station's Expeditions 39 and 40.

For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers