SpaceX breaks ISRO's record, sends 143 satellites into orbit in one go
Elon Musk's SpaceX achieved yet another milestone when it dispatched to orbit a record 143 satellites onboard the Falcon 9 rocket.
With this, SpaceX overshadowed the record set by the Indian Space Research Organisation in February 2017 when the latter had put 104 satellites in quick succession.
The launch marks the first dedicated mission for SpaceX's ambitious rideshare mission.
The mission entails regularly scheduled launches of the Falcon 9 rocket to carry large batches of small satellites rather than focusing on one large, primary payload.
The mission, dubbed Transporter-1, deployed 10 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink internet network, and over 130 satellites for a variety of customers.
With the Starlink satellites, SpaceX aims to provide near-global broadband internet coverage by 2021.
Sunday's launch was the third mission for SpaceX this year and second within a week from Florida's Space Coast.
After the record-setting flight, the Falcon 9 first stage landed on SpaceX's drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Atlantic Ocean.