The SpaceX company has delivered 48 Starlink satellites and two BlackSky Earth observation satellites into orbit. The launch was broadcast live on the company’s website, Trend reports citing TASS.
A Falcon 9 carrier rocket blasted off Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 06:12 pm local time on Thursday. About an hour later the two BlackSky satellites were put into orbit and another half an hour later the Starlink satellites followed suit.
About nine minutes after the launch the carrier rocket’s first stage touched down on SpaceX's drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Starlink satellite constellation is designed to provide Internet access. SpaceX has delivered about 1,900 Starlink satellites into orbit since May 2019. The BlackSky optical satellites are made for Earth observation purposes.