— SpaceX successfully launched dozens of Starlink internet satellites and two small Earth-imaging satellites into orbit Friday (Aug. 7) in the second of what's expected to be a series of Starlink rideshare missions.

A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket carrying 57 SpaceX Starlink satellites, along with two BlackSky Global Earth-observation satellites, lifted off at 1:12 a.m.

The company has had a stellar summer, with the launch and landing of two NASA astronauts on the Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station — a first for a private company — and isn’t slowing down anytime soon. .

The third time was the charm for SpaceX as its Falcon 9 rocket roared to life and lit up the night sky over Florida’s Space Coast.

To date, the company has launched 595 Starlink satellites as it works to complete the huge constellation. .

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has said that SpaceX needs between 400 and 800 Starlink satellites in orbit to begin to roll out minimal coverage.

As that goal draws nearer, SpaceX has been teasing the arrival of a beta program, which will help the company test the service for eventual worldwide consumption. ?

Hitching a ride with the Starlink stack today were two small, Earth-observing satellites for BlackSky.

(Three small Earth-observing satellites built by San Francisco-based company Planet flew on the previous Starlink mission last month, in a deal booked directly through SpaceX.).

The Starlink satellites on this mission are a bit different than the ones that have launched previously.

When the very first set of Starlink satellites launched, it caught the astronomy community off guard as the satellites appeared brighter in the sky than SpaceX intended.

A previous Starlink launch back in June featured one satellite outfitted with the experimental visor; today's mission is the first in which all 57 sport it. .

The first stage of the Falcon 9 featured in today's mission is now a five-time flier, as it previously launched the Demo-1 mission in 2019, which sent an uncrewed Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station; a trio of Earth-observing satellites for Canada; and two Starlink missions this year. .

It is the third Falcon 9 booster to launch five times, and the second to launch and land successfully five times.

The first booster to launch five times, designated B1048 by SpaceX, experienced an inflight anomaly.

To date, the company has successfully recovered 56 first-stage boosters!

SpaceX launched a total of four times between the end of May and the end of June, and it plans to conduct a number of launches through the end of 2020.

Related: SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites and lands rocket in dazzling nighttime liftoff .

The launch was originally scheduled to blast off in mid-June, but was delayed due to the need for extra rocket checks