ORLANDO: SpaceX successfully launched 88 small satellites from Florida on Wednesday after postponing the mission Tuesday because of an airplane in the launch area.
The Falcon 9 rocket on the Transporter-2 rideshare mission lifted off at 3:31 p.m. EDT from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX confirmed all satellites were deployed properly almost 90 minutes after liftoff.
The first stage of the rocket flew for the eighth time, and returned safely back to a landing zone at the Space Force station about nine minutes after launch.
Payloads on board include a range of spacecraft that provide communication, navigation, data for science experiments or Earth observation. Three dozen satellites were booked for the mission by Seattle-based Spaceflight, a company that helps arrange rideshare missions.
