Falcon 9 at Vandenberg

SpaceX erected its upgraded 224-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket Friday on the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Featuring more powerful engines and larger fuel tanks than its predecessor, the Falcon 9 v1.1 will deliver Canada's Cassiope space weather research satellite to orbit. But the mission's primary objective is to demonstrate the upgraded Falcon 9 rocket, which will power resupply missions to the space station, launch commercial satellites, and ultimately deliver astronauts to orbit, SpaceX says.

The launch is scheduled for 9 a.m. PDT (1600 GMT; 12 p.m. EDT) Sunday from Space Launch Complex 4-East at the opening of a three-hour launch window.

See our Mission Status Center for live coverage of the launch.

Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News