Falcon 9 is the first successful rocket launch of many planned for 2020

SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket on schedule Monday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The rocket blasted off at 9:19 p.m. as scheduled, marking the first successful rocket of the year to launch from the Space Coast.

The launch springs another 60 Starlink satellites into orbit and was the first launch under the new U.S. Space Force, which was officially signed into law last month.

Read: Falcon 9 rocket successfully launches from Cape Canaveral

With the launch, SpaceX now has 180 Starlink satellites in orbit. The company’s goal is to launch a network of at least 12,000 of these satellites that will eventually provide internet service around the world, including areas that currently have little or no internet.

Each satellite weighs about 500 pounds.

“They may be launching these Starlink satellites once or twice a month, so they could launch anywhere from 12 to 14 of these Starlink missions,” said Dr. Ken Kremer. with spaceupclose.com.

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The launch was a big draw for people who showed up hours ahead to get a prime viewing spot.

“This was great,” said Dave Lockwood, who came from Canada to see the launch. “It was brighter than I thought it was going to be. Actually, it was pretty spectacular.”

Jerry Corbin of Tennessee said the launch was “fantastic.”

“Just a wonderful experience,” he said. “So happy to be able to get to see it and be here.”

Another Starlink launch will take place later this month.

If you missed the launch, you can view it in its entirety below.

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