CAPE CANAVERAL, June 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket loaded with Starlink satellites Friday less than an hour before Elon Musk's company lifts off for the largest IPO in history on Wall Street.

"Go SpaceX, go Starlink to all SpaceXers, new and old. Let's see what's out there. Occupy Mars!" a SpaceX official said in a live feed of the launch from Cape Canaveral, on Florida's east coast.

The rocket was carrying 29 Starlink internet satellites, destined to join an existing network of more than 10,000 satellites.

The Falcon 9 has now completed more than 600 flights, making it the workhorse of the commercial and military satellite launch industry.

The rocket and tech company is set for an initial public offering raising $75 billion on a total valuation of $1.77 trillion.

The company will put more than 555 million shares up for sale at a price of $135 each, according to US Securities and Exchange Commission filings.