July 27 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with a payload of 22 Starlink satellites into space early Friday from Florida's famed Cape Canaveral, after having scrubbed the launch of a separate mission Thursday night.
The rocket launched at 12:01 a.m. EDT Friday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Up to four backup launch opportunities were available to SpaceX to launch the nearly two dozen satellites into low-Earth orbit where they will join Starlink's constellation of orbitals that provide high-speed, low-latency Internet around the globe.
The launch occurred shortly after SpaceX scrubbed a Flacon Heavy mission that was to liftoff late Thursday. No reason for aborting the mission was immediately made public.
The first-stage booster used in the early Friday launch flew its 15th mission. After deploying its payload into space, the launch vehicle returned to Earth where it landed upon the autonomous A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Both fairing halves used in the launch were on their second mission and were to be retrieved by Bob the recovery vessel.
