I have waited several years to get a time exposure from the observation deck atop Exploration Tower overlooking Port Canaveral of a rocket streaking into space. My previous attempts, halfhearted at best, were derailed by rain scrubbing the launch or problems with the gear. But it is not all joy. Crystal clear skies in the hours leading up to the launch gave way to unexpectedly cloudy skies right at launch time. I look forward to trying it again in the future – hopefully, with clearer skies! For now, this is a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching the JCSAT-18/Kacific1 satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7:10 p.m. on 16 December 2019.

Click to learn more about the mission and view more images of this launch.