Jan. 26 (UPI) -- SpaceX on Thursday morning launched 56 new Starlink Internet satellites into low Earth orbit as it expanded the satellite network in its sixth launch of 2023.
The launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 4:32 a.m. following a 10-minute delay. The 56 satellites weighed a combined total of 19.4 tons, marking the space company's heaviest payload to date.
The first stage Falcon 9 booster had been used eight other times, the most recently in April 2022. It also carried the Crew-3 and Crew-4 missions which brought astronauts to the International Space Station.