The launch was the second in a series the Space Force is running to test its ability to launch high-value satellites in response to operational needs.

Angry-looking red thunderstorms lit up National Weather Service radar screens along the northern portion of the Cape about 1½ hours before launch.

SpaceX is scheduled to launch another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit early Monday. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 satellites is set to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station just after 1 a.