SpaceX successfully launched a rocket Saturday afternoon from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.
It was the company's first launch since a launch pad explosion in 2016.
A Falcon 9 rocket blasted off at 12:54 EST (9:54 a.m. PST), carrying 10 satellites for Iridium Communications, Inc.
- Launch is SpaceX's first in 2017
- Falcon 9 rocket carrying 10 commmunications satellites
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The satellites will be used to enhance mobile voice and data relay capabilities.
SpaceX implemented several changes for this mission after a Falcon 9 rocket exploded last September on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida.
The explosion destroyed a $200 million Israeli communications satellite.
Investigators determined that the likely cause of the explosion was a failure in the rocket’s helium pressure tanks.
SpaceX had hoped to launch its first rocket of 2017 a week ago, but unfavorable weather conditions prevented that.
On Saturday, the company will also successfully landed the rocket on a platform in the Pacific Ocean. The company aims to reuse its rockets in an effort to cut launch costs.
SpaceX is one of two commercial companies hired by NASA to ferry cargo to the International Space Station. The other is Boeing.