SpaceX has blasted off a payload of three Tesla Roadster-sized satellites for the Canadian government, marking its seventh successful launch this year.

Through a thick haze of fog, the white Falcon 9 rocket took flight from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 10:17 am (ET).

About ten minutes after launch, the recycled rocket touched down without a hitch back on the landing pad.

'Falcon has landed back at landing zone four at Vandenberg Air Force Base,' a SpaceX announcer said during a livestream of the launch.

The launch made use of the same Falcon 9 rocket that flew a mission just a few months earlier in March, when it delivered the Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.

The 'RADARSAT Constellation' mission also represents SpaceX's second successful launch and re-landing on the west coast.

Roughly 55 minutes into the launch, SpaceX successfully deployed the first of the trio of satellites.

The satellites, which will orbit roughly 370 miles above the Earth, are approximately the size of a Tesla Roadster, measuring about 23ft wide and 11.8ft tall.

Once all three are deployed, the satellites will map Canada's waters, as well as provide readings of the Arctic, to help ships navigate.

To do this, they're equipped with radar and ship-identification technology, according to the Canadian Space Agency.

About ten minutes after launch, the recycled rocket touched down without a hitch back on the landing pad. Pictured is the Falcon 9 returning to Earth through a haze of fog

'The three-satellite configuration of the RCM will provide daily revisits of Canada's vast territory and maritime approaches, including the Arctic up to 4 times a day, as well as daily access to any point of 90% of the world's surface,' SpaceX said in a statement.

'The RCM help create precise sea ice maps of Canada’s oceans and the Great Lakes to facilitate navigation and commercial maritime transportation.'

Following this mission, SapceX will launch the Falcon Heavy megarocket for the third time on June 24th.

That event, dubbed the STP-2 mission, will deploy several satellites into orbit for the Department of Defense.

It'll also be carrying the Planetary Society's Lightsail 2, a 'solar sail' that resembles a kite and is capable of guiding satellites by harnessing solar energy.

The first Lightsail launch took place in 2015 and now the team is hoping to test it further.

After Lightsail 2 is deployed, it will fly around the Earth for the first time, in order to test its maneuverability. </s> SpaceX

SpaceX on Wednesday launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, containing the Canadian Space Agency's Radarsat trio of Earth observation satellites. The broadcast was telecast live on SpaceX's YouTube channel and it was a particularly interesting one -- the base was covered in fog.

That provided a wonderful image of the Falcon 9 bursting through the layer of fog as it ascended to orbit (above). It also provided an interesting landing for the Falcon 9 booster as it returned to land at Vandenberg shortly after separation.

If you missed it as it happened, you can watch a replay of the launch below.

Canada's three Radarsat satellites, shaped like old rubber stamps, will gather data about the nation's coasts and waterways to help ships navigate the Arctic, provide agriculture solutions and help first responders save lives, according to the agency. The dimensions of the satellites are such that they're almost as big as a Tesla Roadster, but they're only half as heavy. Eventually the satellites will settle into an orbit around 600 kilometers (around 370 miles) above the Earth.

For SpaceX, it's another flight for the Falcon 9 rocket, which delivered the Crew Dragon to the International Space Station in March. The first stage booster successfully returned to land at Vandenberg after separation.

After the Radarsat mission, SpaceX will launch the Falcon Heavy for the third time on the STP-2 mission. That's scheduled to take place on June 24 (with a backup launch window on June 25). It's regarded as one of the most challenging launches in SpaceX history and will be attempting to deploy a suite of satellites into orbit for the Department of Defense. It'll also be carrying the Planetary Society's experimental solar sail, LightSail 2.

Provided the Falcon Heavy core can be recovered in that mission, it'll be the first such success for SpaceX, which was unable to keep the core from toppling over in rough seas during the Arabsat mission.

Originally published June 11, 6:05 p.m. PT.

Update, June 12 at 9:01 a.m. and 6:09 p.m.: Confirmed launch and added details. </s> SpaceX completed a second successful blastoff, satellite deployment, and return of its Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base Wednesday morning. The two-stage rocket lifted off through dense fog at 7:17 a.m. from the ocean-side launch facility, carrying three satellites for the Canadian Space Agency that will provide repeated daily views of sea ice in the Arctic, farmland conditions inland, and areas affected by severe weather.

Within eight minutes, the lower portion of the rocket touched down again at Vandenberg, the second time SpaceX has accomplished the feat; the first time was in October 2018. Fifty-four minutes later, the upper part of the missile released the three satellites into orbit, minutes apart. The Synthetic Aperture Radar Earth observation satellites were built by MDA (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates of BC), now owned by Maxar Technologies of Colorado, which commissioned the ride into space. A live webcast was being carried by SpaceX. </s> Three satellites for the Canadian Space Agency's Earth-monitoring Radarsat program are heading toward orbit aboard a SpaceX rocket.The Falcon 9 booster blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 7:17 a.m. Wednesday.SpaceX intends to fly the rocket's first stage back to the base northwest of Los Angeles and area residents have been advised they may hear a sonic boom during its return. The booster was previously used for a launch in March.Deployment of the three satellites is scheduled to be complete just over an hour after liftoff.The Radarsat satellites bounce signals off the Earth's surface to create images even during adverse weather conditions.The images are used for a wide range of purposes, including monitoring sea ice, disaster management and agricultural and forestry management. </s> Going back to Cali! SpaceX launches RADARSAT for Canadian Space Agency

LOMPOC, Calif. — SpaceX successfully completed the company’s second launch of 2019 from Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 4 East in California. Today’s flight continues pushing the company’s busy 2019 flight manifest.

One of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets ferried the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (or “RCM” for short) on the first leg of its journey on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency. Three of the satellites made up the payload for today’s flight.

Each of the RCM satellites sent aloft weigh in at about 3,150 pounds (1,429 kg) and were built by MDA. RCM-1 was deployed 54 minutes after it had left the pad with the other two satellites released in four minute intervals after that. The last of the trio was deployed one hour and two minutes after lifting off. The satellites launched today are identical C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Earth observation satellites.

The mission got underway at 10:17 a.m. EDT (7:17 a.m. PDT; 1417 GMT) using the B1051.2 first stage core to lift its precious cargo off the pad.

This booster core was last used on SpaceX’s DM-1 mission. Not satisfied that it had made history sending the first commercial crew-rated spacecraft to the International Space Station, the NewSpace company refurbished it and used it again today.

After it had completed its part of the flight B1051.2 conducted a safe landing back on the ground at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) about eight minutes after it lifted off (so far this year SpaceX has launched seven times and recovered every first stage booster used).

If there is one near constant at Vandenberg – it’s fog. A bank submerged the area in a white haze with visibility described as being about 200 feet (61 meters).

Today’s launch window only lasted about 13 minutes, but SpaceX got the flight underway at the very opening of that window. There’s no rest for the wicked however. SpaceX now has to prepare for a planned June 24 launch of the Space Test Program Flight 2 (STP-2) from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A. The payload’s size requires one of the company’s huge Falcon Heavy rockets to get it underway.

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket (at lift off) Block 5 rocket sent the trio of satellites to a sun-synchronous orbit. Each of the spacecraft will be included in a constellation of satellites that started taking shape in 1995, when the first satellites under the program were sent to orbit.

The last time SpaceX used SLC-4E was to launch the Iridium NEXT-8 mission back in January of this year (2019). At present, there are no other West Coast missions on its 2019 launch manifest. So far, the Hawthorne, California-based company has conducted seven flights in 2019 – a rate of more than per a month. </s> VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE (CBSLA) — Sonic booms may wake up people along the coasts in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties when SpaceX attempts to land a rocket that will carry three satellites Wednesday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Hawthorne-based SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the RADARSAT Constellation Wednesday morning during a launch window that opens at 7:17 a.m. and try to recover the rocket with a landing back at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

If the launch proceeds as planned, it could create an impressive aerial show visible to most of Southern California. Depending on weather conditions in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, residents may also hear one or more sonic booms during the landing operations, according to base officials.

The three satellites are part of Canada’s RADARSAT Constellation of Earth-observation satellites. The Canadian Space Agency says the satellites will gather data primarily for maritime surveillance, disaster management and ecosystem monitoring. </s> SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base Wednesday morning.According to the base's Facebook page, the launch window is set to open at 7:17 a.m. and conditions are looking good.Base officials say the visibility will be three to four miles with patchy fog. The temperature is expected to be anywhere from 52 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit.The Falcon 9 will be carrying the RADARSAT Constellation Mission from Space Complex Launch-4.RADARSAT is a Canadian remote sensing Earth Observation satellite overseen by the Canadian Space Agency.Surrounding counties, including Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, may hear at least one sonic boom during the launch. </s> In this image made from video provided by SpaceX, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying an Argentinian satellite blasts off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base launch site, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. The primary purpose of the mission was to place the SAOCOM 1A satellite into orbit, but SpaceX also wanted to expand its recovery of first stages to its launch site at the Air Force base (SpaceX via AP) (Photo: AP)

The planned launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base Wednesday morning could bring one or more sonic booms to the region, officials say.

The launch window will open at 7:17 a.m. Wednesday, according to officials at the base outside Lompoc.

The rocket will be carrying a trio of satellites dubbed the RADARSAT Constellation for the Canadian Space Agency, the agency said.

The reusable first stage of the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket will return to Vandenberg after the launch. It's during that landing attempt that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties could hear one or more sonic booms, according to base officials.

In recent years, some SpaceX and other rocket launches from Vandenberg have created colorful displays in dawn or twilight skies, flooding social media with photos and videos. </s> • SpaceX successfully launched a used Falcon 9 rocket on a space mission for Canada on Wednesday morning.
• The used rocket sent three Earth-observing satellites into space to monitor Canadian land and waters.
• The first-stage of the rocket stuck its landing approximately eight minutes after liftoff, and the satellites were deployed about an hour later.

Despite a layer of heavy fog blanketing the launchpad, SpaceX successfully launched a used Falcon 9 rocket, which deployed three satellites before sticking a landing on the California coast.

The trio of satellites were part of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission developed by the Canadian Space Agency to observe Canada’s land and oceans, as well as measure the impact of climate change on the region. The satellites will also provide maritime surveillance and assist in designing disaster relief efforts.

This Falcon 9 was used in March to ferry the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station, The Verge reported.

Read more: Elon Musk is building SpaceX’s Mars rockets in a tiny Texas hamlet. But getting them off the ground there may be harder than he imagined.

The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 7:17 am PST, piercing through the clouds after a foggy launch.

The satellites were deployed approximately 54 minutes after liftoff.

The Falcon 9 rocket is a two-stage rocket — the second stage heads into orbit and the first stage comes back to Earth.

The first-stage landing occurred approximately eight minutes after liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket.

The first stage successfully landed in SpaceX’s launchpad at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Watch the broadcast of the launch here:
Despite dense fog, SpaceX successfully launches the Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT Constellation satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base.