Q&A with Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO

Two ion-driven communications satellites launched from Cape Canaveral on March 1 have begun novel maneuvers using electric propulsion to reach operating posts 22,300 miles over the equator.

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket at 7:29 a.m. PDT (10:29 a.m. EDT; 1429 UTC) Sunday from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California with 10 missile tracking and data relay satellites for the U.S. military’s Space Development Agency. The launch occurred three days after SpaceX aborted the first launch attempt at T-minus 3 seconds to examine data from one of the Falcon 9’s main engines.

The mission is part of SpaceX’s plan to bolster its internet network in Alaska and other polar regions. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from pad 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 8:52 p.m. PDT (11:52 p.m. EDT / 0352 UTC).