The company said the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched on Sunday carrying a record number of satellites.
The missile took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10:00 a.m., 24 hours after the original scheduled flight had been delayed due to bad weather.
Andy Tran, SpaceX official, said in a video accompanying the launch that the Falcon 9 was carrying 133 commercial and government satellites as well as 10 SpaceX satellites.
He added that “the largest number of” satellites “were deployed in one mission.”
SpaceX flies on the Falcon 9 as part of a “rideshare” (co-launch) program in which small businesses pay Elon Musk’s group to bring their technology into space.
In a series of tweets, SpaceX said all 143 satellites had been posted.
The company founded by Elon Musk wants to put thousands of tiny satellites into orbit to form the constellation dubbed “Starlink”, which aims to provide high-speed internet from space.
Scientists have expressed concern about the number of objects orbiting the Earth. SpaceX says its satellites are designed to burn out in the atmosphere after a few years.
Evan McKenzie is a contributor at Vaughantoday.ca, covering a wide range of topics including local news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. He focuses on clear, balanced reporting that helps readers stay informed about current events and issues that matter to their communities. His work aims to provide useful information, timely updates, and relevant stories presented in an accessible and reader-friendly way.