CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX launched its 11th batch of Starlink satellites Tuesday morning.
Liftoff took place at 10:31 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40.
Onboard the rocket are 58 satellites Starlink communication satellites and three PlanetLab SkySat Earth-imaging satellites.
Upon success of the mission, SpaceX will have about 650 Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit.
[VIDEO: See different angle of SpaceX launch in video below]
Starlink is primarily designed to provide internet connectivity to remote and underserved areas around the world. According to CEO Elon Musk, public beta testing in North American could begin later this year.
The only thing needed to join the constellation is a pizza box-sized, white dish. Musk said that finding a signal should be as simple as orienting the dish toward the open sky and waiting for a connection.
SpaceX’s goal is to have almost 12,000 satellites operating in low-Earth orbit, with plans to launch an additional 30,000 satellites in the future. Part of the goal of creating the Starlink broadband constellation is to help fund Musk’s dream of colonizing Mars.
Following this mission, the next launch currently scheduled from the Space Coast is Aug. 26 from Launch Complex 37. United Launch Alliance will launch its Delta Heavy rocket no earlier than 1:50 a.m. The window lasts until 6:25 a.m. Onboard the rocket is a secretive satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office, known as NROL-44.