A brand-new rocket lifted off early Monday morning from Cape Canaveral, Fla., sending a robotic spacecraft toward the surface of the moon. No American spacecraft has made a soft landing on the moon since 1972.

For United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the successful launch of the Vulcan Centaur rocket was crucial. Vulcan is designed to replace two older rockets, and the United States Space Force is also counting on it to launch spy satellites and other spacecraft that are important for U.S. national security.

The Vulcan is also the first of several new rockets that could chip away at the current domination of the space launch market by Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX. SpaceX sent nearly 100 rockets into orbit last year. Other debut orbital launches in the coming months could include the Ariane 6 rocket from Arianespace, a European company, and New Glenn from Blue Origin, the company started by Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder.

Through the night, the countdown for the Vulcan rocket proceeded smoothly, and the weather cooperated.

At 2:18 a.m. Eastern time, the rocket’s engines ignited and lifted off from the launchpad, heading up and east over the Atlantic Ocean.

“Everything looking good,” Rob Gannon, the launch commentator at United Launch Alliance, said repeatedly as the Vulcan headed to space.