A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Starlink 12-17 mission Saturday night (April 12) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center ( KSC ). The Falcon 9 lifted off from KSC's historic Launch Complex-39A at 8:53 p.m. EDT (0053 on April 13 GMT), carrying a stack of 21 Starlink satellites toward low Earth orbit ( LEO ).

SpaceX, the private space company founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, successfully launched 21 more Starlink satellites into space on Saturday. The launch took place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX's Starlink internet satellite constellation has become a prime target for Russia and China, according to a new report assessing the counterspace capabilities of a dozen countries over the past year.