SpaceX launches 20 satellites atop Falcon 9 into orbit

July 11 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a cluster of 20 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Station in California at 7:39 p.m. PT Thursday, the 364th SpaceX mission.

Thirteen of the satellites have Direct to Cell capabilities, which allow mobile phone users to access service anywhere on the planet, regardless of the availability of cell signal.

Watch Falcon 9 launch 20 @Starlink satellites to orbit from California, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities https://t.co/aXuY7ZXXrO — SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 12, 2024

The reusable fuel cell propelled the rocket into space atop a million pounds of kerosene and was then jettisoned and landed safely on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean, about 8 1/2 minutes after the Falcon 9 left the launch pad.

It was the reusable rocket's 19th mission.

SpaceX is aiming for 148 launches in 2024, an increase over the 98 it completed the year before . Its next launch is scheduled for Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla, on Sunday.