KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket and 53 Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center Friday afternoon.
The rocket and satellites successfully launched at 12:09 p.m.
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The first stage booster bolstering this mission previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2 and nine Starlink missions, the agency said.
Falcon 9′s first stage is scheduled to return to Earth and land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean following stage separation.
While SpaceX had reported the possibility of inclement weather, the launch was cleared.
The launch comes days after NASA voiced concerns about SpaceX’s Starship possibly exploding and damaging the launch pad.