The launch takes place on a milestone date, marking 20 years since the STS-114 space shuttle mission took off from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39B. The launch of Discovery on the STS-114 mission on July 26, 2005, marked the return to flight for the space shuttle after the Columbia tragedy investigation.

Depending on weather and clouds, rocket launches from Cape Canaveral may be seen as far south as West Palm Beach, Florida.

SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets with satellites after they were scrubbed less than a minute before liftoff one day earlier in Florida and California.