SpaceX launches 49 Starlink satellites into orbit

SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the next batch of 49 Starlink satellites for the company's internet satellite constellation system from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Falcon 9's first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched GPS III-4, GPS III-5, and Inspiration4. Starlink is a satellite-based global internet system that SpaceX has been building for years to bring internet access to underserved areas of the world. Thursday's mission was SpaceX's first launch of 2022.