Launch of first SpaceX mission. Falcon 9 rocket engines (Merlin) igniting at 20:35 local time (EDT) on 7 October 2012 to launch the first SpaceX mission (CRS-1) from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, USA. The rocket is carrying a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station (ISS). This capsule was designed and manufactured by SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies) under the NASA COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) initiative, set up to encourage private companies to ship cargo and science experiments to the ISS after the retirement of the shuttle program in 2011.