A large U.S. spy satellite was successfully launched into orbit Saturday from central California as concerns mounted that the continued government shutdown threatens to disrupt launch plans for future commercial, civilian and potentially even military payloads.

The Delta IV rocket carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 11:10 a.m. local time, with the 1.6-million-pound rocket’s main engines performing as expected and the upper stage igniting about six minutes into the flight. The rocket was supplied to the Air Force by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp.

Originally scheduled for early December, the mission was the 11th launch of the most powerful and expensive variant of the Delta IV rocket, a version many lawmakers and Pentagon planners are eager to replace with less-expensive options. But Air Force and ULA officials have said they plan to rely on the heavy-lift model possibly late into the next decade, or until alternative boosters are developed, flight tested and proven to be equally reliable.

In the days leading up to the launch, satellite and rocket industry officials raised concerns that the prolonged furlough of federal employee could negatively affect missions slated to depart from launchpads run by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other spaceports.

The Air Force and the rest of the armed forces aren’t affected by the current budget dispute, but military launches require civilian licenses and other government approvals that could be caught up in the current partial shutdown.