
Elon Musk's SpaceX has launched the first of nearly 12,000 'Starlink' satellites that could bring super-fast internet to billions of people.

The devices will form the first in a constellation of thousands of satellites, designed to provide low-cost internet service from Earth's orbit.

The satellites were perched atop one of the firm's 'Falcon 9' rockets, which blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 2:17pm GMT (9:17am ET).

SpaceX attempted to recover key rocket parts as a means of cutting costs, employing a giant claw to try to catch one of the craft's reusable fairings - clam shell-like nose cone halves that protect the payload.

Musk has now confirmed on Twitter that the claw, attached to a giant boat called 'Mr Steven', missed its target by 'a few hundred meters', though the fairing landed intact in the Pacific Ocean.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has launched the first of nearly 12,000 'Starlink' satellites that could bring super-fast internet to billions of people. The devices will form the first in a constellation of thousands of satellites, designed to provide low-cost internet service from Earth's orbit. Pictured is rocket as it launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California

The billionaire has previously compared the contraption, four metal struts attached to a net, to 'a giant catcher's mitt'.

Confirming that the fairing had re-entered Earth's atmosphere and deployed its parachute successfully, Musk wrote during the launch: 'Made it back from space and fairing parafoil just deployed. Now trying to catch it'.

But less than an hour later, he added: 'Missed by a few hundred meters, but fairing landed intact in water. Should be able catch it with slightly bigger chutes to slow down descent.'

Recovering the fairings of future flights could save SpaceX an estimated $5 million (£3.6m) per launch and would mark a key step in making spaceflight more affordable.

Despite the failed recovery mission, SpaceX confirmed the rocket successfully propelled its payload into Low Earth Orbit.

As well as two Starlink satellites, the Falcon 9 was loaded with a 'Paz' Earth imaging satellite for Spain as well as a number of smaller, tertiary payloads.

While SpaceX often dramatically recovers its rocket cores by flying them back to Earth from space, today's launch did not feature a reusable booster.

The satellites were perched atop one of the firm's 'Falcon 9' rockets, which blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 2:17pm GMT (9:17am ET)

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a PAZ Earth Observation satellite launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB) as seen over the Ventura Pier in Ventura, California, February 22, 2018. The rocket carried the first of nearly 12,000 'Starlink' satellites that could bring super-fast internet to billions of people

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a PAZ Earth Observation satellite launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB) as seen over a bird resting on the Ventura Pier in Ventura, California, February 22, 2018

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a PAZ Earth Observation satellite launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB) as seen from Ventura, California. SpaceX attempted to recover key rocket parts as a means of cutting costs, employing a giant claw to try to catch one of the craft's reusable fairings - clam shell-like nose cone halves that protect the payload

As well as the Starlink satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket was loaded with a 'Paz' Earth imaging satellite for Spain as well as a number of smaller, tertiary payloads

Elon Musk's SpaceX has launched the first of nearly 12,000 'Starlink' satellites that could bring super-fast internet to billions of people. Pictured is one of the Falcon 9's boosters burning shortly after take off

This is because the rocket's main booster was used previously, in August 2017. SpaceX does not recover boosters after their second launch.

SpaceX had to yet again delay the launch of the rocket yesterday, due to strong winds.

The craft was set to fly from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 2:17pm GMT (9:17am ET).

In a statement on Twitter, SpaceX said: 'Standing down today due to strong upper level winds.

'Now targeting launch of PAZ for February 22 at 6:17 a.m. PST from Vandenberg Air Force Base.'

Recovering the fairings of future flights could save SpaceX an estimated $5 million (£3.6m) per launch and would mark a key step in making spaceflight more affordable. Pictured is a smoke ring left by the rocket after launch

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Thursday, February 22, 2018, over Lompoc, California, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, in the company's first West Coast launch of the year. The launch, which had been delayed three times since Saturday, went off as scheduled at 6:17 a.m. Thursday from VAFB's Space Launch Complex-4

While SpaceX often dramatically recovers its rocket cores by flying them back to Earth from space, today's launch did not feature a reusable booster. This is because the rocket's main booster was used previously, in August 2017. SpaceX does not recover boosters after their second launch

After liftoff the SpaceX rocket accelerated to nearly 620mph (1,000 km/h) in sixty seconds (left image). Main engine cutoff occurred around 2 minutes 30 seconds into the launch. Pictured right is the rocket shortly before main engine cutoff

Pictured is the moment the Falcon 9's giant fairing, complete with onboard thrusters and a guidance system, falls back from space at about eight times the speed of sound

The finale of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch came as the primary payload was released from the rocket. The valuable cargo (pictured) containing the Paz satellite will observe earth on a mission lasting more than five years. It will take high-resolution images of the surface of the Earth

SpaceX attempted to recover key rocket parts, employing a giant claw to try to catch the craft's reusable fairings - clam shell-like nose cone halves that protect the payload. Musk has now confirmed that the claw, attached to a giant boat called 'Mr Steven', missed its target by 'a few hundred meters'. He later posted pictures of the fairings in the ocean to Instagram

The launch was initially set for December 22, but was delayed to February 16.

Musk said the rocket's reusable fairing missed its target by 'a few hundred metres'

SpaceX then moved the date to February 18 to allow 'additional time for pre-launch systems checks.'

That launch was then delayed to today so the company could take 'additional time to perform final checkouts of upgraded fairing.'

SpaceX recovered a Falcon 9 payload fairing for the first time last year.

With Mr. Steven, SpaceX hoped to develop a more efficient solution to retrieving payload fairings, though the attempt failed after the boat missed its target.

First two Starlink demo satellites, called Tintin A & B, deployed and communicating to Earth stations pic.twitter.com/TfI53wHEtz — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2018

After the launch, Musk tweeted a clip of SpaceX's two Starlink satellites detaching successfully from the Falcon 9's main module. The satellites will test the feasibility of beaming broadband from space via a constellation of orbiting gadgets

Ahead of launch, Elon Musk put this image of the boat and net tasked with catching the Falcon 9 fairing on Instagram. Musk said the fairing has onboard thrusters and a guidance system to bring it through the atmosphere intact. He later confirmed boat had failed to catch the reusable parts

As well as the Starlink satellites, the Falcon 9's payload featured a 'Paz' Earth imaging satellite for Spain as well as a number of smaller, tertiary payloads. Pictured is the rocket on its launchpad in California prior to launch

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THE SPACEX LAUNCH? The rocket is a single core of a Falcon 9 and stands at 229 feet tall (70-metre). One of the companies using the rocket is Hisdesat, a Spanish telecommunications company. The PAZ satellite can generate high-resolution images of the Earth's surface. The rocket is also carrying two test probes, called Microsat-2a and -2b, for a planned global broadband Internet network. SpaceX hopes to use the satellites to start building a global satellite internet network by 2024. A few minutes after the initial launch, the payload fairings separated from the top of the rocket. These are an improved version of previous models and SpaceX hopes to recover them after the launch. The fairings costs $5 million (£3.6 million) to produce and could bring down the cost of subsequent rocket launches. To recover them, SpaceX has designed and built a grabber which aims to catch at least one of them. Failing catching them, the grabber - called Mr Steven - will be used to pluck them from the Pacific Ocean. Mr Steven is used by SpaceX to recover the rocket fairings. The fairings are made of carbon fibre and an aluminium honeycomb and are worth $6 million (£4.3 million). They are set to fall into the Pacific ocean and Elon Musk has called their recovery method Mr Steven (pictured) and referred to it as a 'catcher's mitt' The main booster was used previously, in August 2017, so SpaceX will not be recovering the booster for a third launch. Elon Musk and SpaceX charge around $40 million per flight. Timeline before launch 1 hour 13 minutes: SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load 1 hour 10 minutes: RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading underway 35 minutes: LOX (liquid oxygen) loading underway 7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch 1 minute: Flight computer commanded to begin final prelaunch checks 1 minute: Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins 45 seconds: SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch 3 seconds: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start 0 seconds: Liftoff Timeline after launch At 9:17am ET (14:17 GMT) the rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California. 1 minute 17 seconds: The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure. The first stage’s nine Merlin 1D engines produce about 1.7 million pounds of thrust. 2 minutes 29 seconds: MECO- Main Engine Cut Off - occurs. The 9 Merlin engines shut down 2 minutes 33 seconds: Stage 1 Separation - Moments after MECO the first stage separates from the second stage 2 minutes 40 seconds: Stage 2 ignition - After the release of stage 1 the vacuum Merlin 1D engine ignites for about six minutes 2 minutes 56 seconds: Fairing jettison - The expensive 17 foot (5 metre) diameter payload fairing jettisons once the rocket ascends through low atmosphere. The fairings are made of carbon fibre and a honeycomb aluminium core. 8 minutes 58 seconds: ECO 1 - Second Engine Cut Off - Once in a 317-mile-high (511 kilometres) orbit the Merlin 1D vacuum engine switches off. 10 minutes 58 seconds: Paz separation - The Paz spacecraft deploys from the rocket to begin its five-and-a-half-year Earth observation mission. SpaceX's two Microsat secondary payloads separated after Paz. Advertisement

SpaceX has launched another of its Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Southern California. The firm attempted to recover a payload fairing as part of the mission, though it is not yet known if they were successful. Pictured is the rocket on its launchpad

ELON MUSK'S SPACEX SET TO BRING BROADBAND INTERNET TO THE WORLD WITH ITS STARLINK CONSTELLATION OF SATELLITS Elon Musk's SpaceX has launched the fifth batch of its 'Starlink' space internet satellites - taking the total to 300. They form a constellation of thousands of satellites, designed to provide low-cost broadband internet service from low Earth orbit. The constellation, informally known as Starlink, and under development at SpaceX's facilities in Redmond, Washington. Its goal is to beam superfast internet into your home from space. While satellite internet has been around for a while, it has suffered from high latency and unreliable connections. Starlink is different. SpaceX says putting a 'constellation' of satellites in low earth orbit would provide high-speed, cable-like internet all over the world. The billionaire's company wants to create the global system to help it generate more cash. Musk has previously said the venture could give three billion people who currently do not have access to the internet a cheap way of getting online. It could also help fund a future city on Mars. Helping humanity reach the red planet is one of Musk's long-stated aims and was what inspired him to start SpaceX. The company recently filed plans with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch 4,425 satellites into orbit above the Earth - three times as many that are currently in operation. 'Once fully deployed, the SpaceX system will pass over virtually all parts of the Earth's surface and therefore, in principle, have the ability to provide ubiquitous global service,' the firm said. 'Every point on the Earth's surface will see, at all times, a SpaceX satellite.' The network will provide internet access to the US and the rest of the world, it added. It is expected to take more than five years and $9.8 billion (£7.1bn) of investment, although satellite internet has proved an expensive market in the past and analysts expect the final bill will be higher. Musk compared the project to 'rebuilding the internet in space', as it would reduce reliance on the existing network of undersea fibre-optic cables which criss-cross the planet. In the US, the FCC welcomed the scheme as a way to provide internet connections to more people. Advertisement

'We've got a special boat to catch the fairing,' Musk said in a press conference following the Falcon Heavy launch.

'It's like a giant catcher's mitt, in boat form...I think it might be able to do the same thing with Dragon,' he added.

SpaceX's Dragon 2 capsule was used by Nasa to send cargo to the International Space Station.

The PAZ mission follows SpaceX's historic Falcon Heavy launch in early February.

SpaceX launched the world's most powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy (pictured), earlier this month. Now, Elon Musk's space firm has been approved to build a broadband network of satellites

WHY DOES SPACEX RE-USE ROCKETS AND OTHER PARTS? SpaceX tries to re-use rockets, payload fairings, boosters and other parts to try to cut down on the cost of each rocket mission. The total cost of one of its Falcon 9 launches is estimated to reach £44 million ($61m), while each of its larger Falcon Heavy flights costs £65 million ($90m). The space company has previously re-used first-stage and second-stage rocket boosters, in addition to one of its previously flown Dragon capsules. The Dragon spacecraft are used as the final stage of SpaceX missions to resupply the International Space Station. In an incredible accomplishment, the Falcon Heavy's reused side boosters landed smoothly back down to Earth on two separate launchpads about 8 minutes in. SpaceX is currently testing a system to recover the fairings of its Falcon 9 rockets. The payload fairings are clam shell-like nose cone halves that protect the craft's payload. SpaceX recovered a payload fairing for the first time in 2017. During its first Falcon Heavy launch in February 2018, the firm landed two of the firms side boosters simultaneously on separate launchpads. Advertisement

The megarocket blasted off from the launchpad at Cape Canaveral on Feb. 6, carrying Musk's cherry red Tesla Roadster on a journey to Mars.

During that mission, SpaceX recovered two side boosters, which landed smoothly back down on Earth on two separate launchpads.

It was also supposed to recover the craft's reusable centre booster, but the rocket core missed its target - a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean - by about 328 feet (100 metres).

Elon Musk's SpaceX, fresh off the successful launch this month of the world's most powerful rocket, won an endorsement last Wednesday from the top U.S. communications regulator to build a broadband network using satellites

The Falcon Heavy mission had a pretty precious payload - Musk's Roadster and its dummy passenger named Starman.

SpaceX won an endorsement last week from the top U.S. communications regulator to build a broadband network using satellites.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed the approval of an application by SpaceX to provide broadband services using satellites in the United States and worldwide.

For several years, Musk has planned to launch more than 4,000 internet-beaming satellites in a bid to create high-speed broadband from space.