SpaceX launched another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit today (July 7) and landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 48 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 3:29 p.m. EDT (1929 GMT; 12:29 p.m. local time), piercing a thick layer of fog on its way to the final frontier.

The rocket's first stage returned to Earth for a vertical touchdown on the SpaceX droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean. This milestone occurred about eight minutes and 50 seconds after liftoff.