CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Fog cleared over Cape Canaveral in time for a Falcon 9 rocket to blast off Monday carrying another batch of SpaceX satellites as part of the company’s goal to create a space-based internet.
The rocket launched at 10:05 a.m., carrying 60 Starlink satellites inside its nose cone, bringing SpaceX’s total in space to 300.
The launch was postponed from Sunday due to bad weather. SpaceX also said they were “taking a closer look at a second stage valve component.”
This was the fifth Falcon 9 launch dedicated to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation. The company and CEO Elon Musk are working to create a space-based internet using satellites that beam internet signal down to Earth, even to remote areas.
The booster supporting the fifth Starlink mission previously launched and landed during three other missions, according to SpaceX, including on two space station cargo supply run and the launch of the JCSAT-18/Kacific1 mission.
Launching 60 satellites at a time, SpaceX plans to send up another round of Starlink spacecraft every few weeks. With Monday’s launch, the company has more satellites in low-Earth orbit than any other currently operating spacecraft. Eventually, SpaceX plans to operate a fleet of thousands.