SpaceX launches European Galileo satellites to medium-Earth orbit

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the European Commission's Galileo L13 mission Tuesday, successfully delivering its navigation satellite constellation to a medium-Earth orbit, despite questionable weather earlier in the day.

The mission to deliver two Galileo satellites launched on time at 6:50 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in a mission that also tested the limits of Falcon 9's first-stage booster's recovery capabilities.

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