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SpaceX launches 51 satellites into orbit from California

This Oct. 7, 2018 file photo shows the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base. (David McNew/Getty Images)

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 satellite-based global internet system that SpaceX has been building for years.