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SpaceX launches 51 Starlink satellites from California

SpaceX launched 51 Starlink satellites abroad a Falcon 9 rocket Friday. The booster stage of the Falcon 9 used in Friday's launch previously launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission. NASA File Photo by Bill Ingalls/UPI
SpaceX launched 51 Starlink satellites abroad a Falcon 9 rocket Friday. The booster stage of the Falcon 9 used in Friday's launch previously launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission. NASA File Photo by Bill Ingalls/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 17 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched 51 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Friday. The payload lifted off as scheduled aboard a Falcon 9 rocket at 11:12 a.m. PT, 2:12 p.m. ET.

The first stage booster separated minutes after launch and successfully landed onboard a drone ship -- called "Of Course I Still Love You" -- in the Pacific Ocean.

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The live feed from the booster stage briefly cut out during descent but was back up by the time the booster landed on the drone ship.

The landing marks the 172nd overall landing of an orbital class booster from SpaceX.

Friday's launch was the 210th Starlink mission, and the 11th this year so far.

Starlink uses a constellation of thousands of small satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide high-speed Internet.

Starlink satellites orbit at approximately 341 miles above the Earth's surface, which gives them an advantage over geosynchronous communication satellites that orbit tens of thousands of miles above the Earth, according to SpaceX.

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The low-Earth orbit reduces latency time because signals can reach Starlink satellites more quickly than geosynchronous satellites, the company says. The shorter latency time means Starlink is capable of connecting users with high-speed Internet in hard-to-reach areas.

The booster stage that launched the latest Starlink mission was used in six prior Starlink launches, as well as the launch of the DART spacecraft and the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission.

SpaceX confirmed the "deployment of 51 Starlink satellites" via Twitter at 2:33 p.m. EST.

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