A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the heaviest payload ever launched by SpaceX took off Monday morning from Cape Canaveral with 60 satellites for then company’s Starlink broadband network.
The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket lifted off at 9:56 a.m. EST (1456 GMT) Monday, powered by nine Merlin 1D engines generating 1.7 million pounds of thrust.
The kerosene-burning powerplants propelled the Falcon 9 launcher toward the northeast from Cape Canaveral.
Monday’s launch was SpaceX’s first mission to fly a Falcon booster on a fourth flight. The company says the first stage boosters are designed for up to 10 missions before requiring a major overhaul.
The Falcon 9’s nose shroud, which shields payloads during launch, was also reused after retrieval following a previous launch in April. The launch marked the first time SpaceX has reused a payload fairing.
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