18 December 2021

SpaceX rocket launches dozens of internet satellites into orbit

18 December 2021

A SpaceX rocket carried 52 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from California early on Saturday.

The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from coastal Vandenberg Space Force Base at 4:41am and passed over the Pacific.

The Falcon’s first stage returned and landed on a SpaceX droneship in the ocean.

It was the 11th launch and recovery of the stage.

The second stage continued into orbit and deployment of the satellites was confirmed, said launch commentator Youmei Zhou at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

Starlink is a satellite-based global internet system that SpaceX has been building for years to bring internet access to underserved areas of the world.

Saturday’s mission was the 34th launch for Starlink, a constellation of nearly 2,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

SpaceX also was scheduled to launch a Turkish communications satellite from Florida on Saturday.

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