SpaceX launches 51 satellites into orbit

BASE » SpaceX launched 51 Starlink satellites into orbit from California on Monday night.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 8:55 p.m. and deployed the satellites, which was confirmed about 20 minutes after launch, according to the launch webcast.

The rocket’s reusable first stage successfully returned and set down on an oceangoing landing platform in the Pacific. It has been used for multiple launches.

Starlink is a satellitebased global internet system that SpaceX has been building for years.