SpaceX launches 12th Starlink mission, says users getting 100Mbps downloads

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  SpaceX Falcon 9 B1060.2 makes its way to LEO with the 12th batch of 60 Starlink satellites. [credit: Trevor Mahlmann ]

On Thursday morning a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, carrying SpaceX's 12th batch of Starlink Internet satellites. The mission went nominally, with the first stage making a safe landing several minutes after the launch, and the full stack of satellites deploying shortly thereafter.

Prior to launch, webcast commentator Kate Tice, a senior program reliability engineer at SpaceX, offered several details about development of the space-based Starlink Internet service.

"We are well into our first phase of testing of our private beta program, with plans to roll out a public beta later this year," Tice said. For several months, SpaceX has been collecting names and addresses for people interested in participating in the public beta here.

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