SpaceX has launched a rocket carrying a military navigation satellite for the first time.

The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral on Sunday after four previous launches were cancelled due to bad weather and technical hitches.

It's a significant achievement for Elon Musk's privately-held company, which has been trying to break into the military space launch market for years.

SpaceX said this rocket was a "rare, expendable" version of the Falcon 9; it wouldn't try to re-land the booster after launch as it needed to use all its rocket fuel to move the satellite to its distant orbit.