Sept. 25 (UPI) — SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket loaded with another batch of Starlink Internet communication satellites into space on Tuesday night.
The launch took place at 9:01 p.m. PDT from a fog-encased Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Liftoff of Falcon 9 under the power of nine Merlin engines pic.twitter.com/CGAwMbE8TH— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 25, 2024
The Elon Musk-owned company had announced on X, another Musk property, about half an hour before liftoff that the space vehicle was ready and the weather was “looking good” for the launch.
The launch was to put 20 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, where they will join the company’s ever-growing constellation of satellites, which seeks to offer high-speed, low-latency Internet across the globe.
Among the batch were 13 equipped with direct-to-cell capabilities, which Starlink states enables “ubiquitous access to texting, calling and browsing where ever you may be.”
The first-stage booster, on its 10th flight, successfully returned to Earth and landed on the Of Course I Still Love you droneship that had been awaiting its arrival in the Pacific Ocean.
The Starlink Internet service is available in about 40 countries. Earlier on Tuesday, it announced that its service was now operational in Burundi.