LOS ANGELES, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. private space company SpaceX on Wednesday launched the Falcon 9 rocket carrying Canada's RADARSAT Constellation from Vandenberg Air Force Base in the state of California.
The rocket, carrying the RADARSAT Constellation which includes three Earth observation satellites, blasted off at 7:17 a.m. Pacific Time (1417 GMT) from Space Launch Complex-4E at the air force base.
About eight minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage successfully returned to land at SpaceX's Landing Zone 4 at the air force base, according to the SpaceX live broadcast.
About one hour later, the three radar-imaging satellites were deployed to orbit.
The three-satellite configuration will provide daily revisits of Canada's vast territory and maritime approaches, as well as daily access to any point of 90 percent of the world's surface, according to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
The RADARSAT Constellation Mission is Canada's newest generation of radar Earth observation satellites that will contribute to a better understanding of Canada's land and natural resources.
