SpaceX launches 49 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit

SpaceX successfully launched 49 Starlink satellites and another orbital transfer vehicle into low-Earth orbit on Tuesday morning. 

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 8:15 a.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. 

The reusable rocket’s first stage landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship off the coast of California about eight minutes after launch. 

The ION SCV009 Eclectic Elena, an orbital transfer vehicle developed by Italian aerospace company D-Orbit, was deployed around 9:13 a.m. All 49 Starlink satellites were deployed about half an hour later. 

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Tuesday’s mission marked the 157th successful launch and landing by a Falcon 9, which is a reusable, two-stage rocket capable of transporting both people and cargo into space. 

Aside from launching Starlink satellites into space, SpaceX also contracts with private companies and governments to launch their cargo into orbit. 

A Falcon Heavy rocket, which is essentially three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together, carried a classified military payload to orbit for the United States Space Force earlier this month. 

Starlink, the company’s satellite internet constellation service, now has more than one million customers across 45 countries.