Washington, July 07 (QNA) - US Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX launched a new batch of 81 satellites on Tuesday.

In a statement, the company said a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base carrying the satellites into their designated orbits. Among them was CAS500-4, a South Korean satellite weighing approximately 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms). The satellite is designed for Earth observation, including monitoring crops and forests, among other missions.

The South Korean satellite, whose name is short for Compact Advanced Satellite 500-4, will become the fourth member of the planned CAS500 constellation, which consists of five satellites operating in low Earth orbit (LEO).

This launch, Transporter-17 mission, marked the 79th Falcon 9 of 2026. According to the statement, 80% of the company's missions this year have been dedicated to expanding SpaceX's Starlink mega-constellation in LEO. (QNA)