Video: Falcon 9 rocket fires engines in pre-launch test (members only)

India’s most powerful communications satellite will soon be flown back to its manufacturing plant in Bangalore for additional checks, officials said this week, forcing Arianespace to scrap plans for an Ariane 5 launch in late May that was to be co-manifested with a U.S.-built television broadcast satellite for Intelsat and the government of Azerbaijan.

The mission is the 40th launch of the year from SpaceX, dedicated to flying its broadband internet satellites. Liftoff of the Starlink 17-14 mission happened at 8:23:09 p.m. PDT (11:23:09 p.m. EDT / 0323:09 UTC).

Five small satellites, including one built by high school students in Southern California, are awaiting launch Friday from New Zealand aboard the first commercial flight of Rocket Lab’s Electron booster.