Brevard County

WATCH: SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — SpaceX launched a batch of Starlink satellites Tuesday afternoon from the Kennedy Space Center.

The company launched its 26th batch of about 60 satellites from Launch Complex 39-A at 3:01 p.m.

WATCH: SpaceX successfully launches another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral

Launch officials had been keeping an eye on weather conditions in the recovery area, which would have affected the decision to launch.

After the launch, the first stage of the rocket returned for landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

WATCH: Houston, we have splash down! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 returns to Earth

This was the eighth time this particular Falcon 9 rocket booster has been used in support of a SpaceX mission.

Previous launches include Telstar 18 VANTAGE, Iridium-8, and six other Starlink missions.

READ: ‘Endeavour launches once again’: NASA, SpaceX’s Crew-2 mission lifts off from Space Coast

The goal of the mission is to provide reliable and affordable internet across the globe.

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The network is currently available in parts of North America and expected to be available globally in late 2021 or 2022.

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Matt Reeser

Matt Reeser, WFTV.com

Matt Reeser joined WFTV in 1998 as a news photographer and has worked for television stations in Kentucky and West Virginia.