A SpaceX rocket that was scheduled to lift a commercial satellite into orbit from Florida before dawn on Tuesday carried five times as much liability coverage for prelaunch operations as launches in previous years.

The higher limit, mandated by federal officials, reflects heightened U.S. concerns about the potential extent of damage to nearby government property in the event of an accident before blastoff. At this point, it isn’t clear what prompted the imposition of higher liability coverage on Space Exploration Technologies...