Space X launched another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit late Friday afternoon. A Falcon 9 rocket carried 53 satellites into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 40.
The launch took place as scheduled at 5:27 p.m., with the reusable first-stage rocket landing on the Just Read the Instructions drone ship at 5:36 p.m. It was the booster's second flight in 21 days, SpaceX said.
Friday's launch marked the 44th Starlink mission. Space X now has a constellation of more than 2,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, providing Internet connectivity to hundreds of thousands of users.
The company has provided Starlink ground terminals to the Ukrainian government for use during the Russian invasion.
Ukraine Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted a thank-you to Musk for a Starlink shipment Ukraine received at the end of February.
"While you try to colonize Mars – Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space – Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people!" Fedorov wrote.
The Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by Space X. The company says it's safe transport for people and payloads "into Earth orbit and beyond."
The reusability, Space X said, allows costs to be driven down by re-using the most expensive parts of the rocket.
