Much of the East Coast was privy to a spectacle in the sky last night, as NASA successfully launched a re-supply mission to the International Space Station.

The launch came two years after a disaster on the same site, when an Antares rocket exploded shortly after launch and just a few weeks after a SpaceX rocket exploded at Cape Canaveral.

“We’re always nervous, but we wouldn’t have a rocket out there if we weren’t confident we’re ready to go,” Antares program manager Mike Pinkston said on Saturday. Originally scheduled for Sunday night, the launch was delayed a day due to a faulty cable.

This time, though, the redesigned rocket lifted off successfully, visible from South Carolina to Massachusetts. While NASA captured the majesty of the launch from the site, photographers in D.C. set their shutter speeds slow and snapped the rocket’s graceful arc.

The rocket launch, as seen from a rooftop near Malcolm X Park. (By Jason Morenz)