KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- An upgraded SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on Friday afternoon carrying Bangladesh's first communications satellite.

On board the Falcon 9 was the country of Bangladesh's first communications satellite. It is designed to provide internet, television and phone services to rural areas for the next 15 years.

The rocket delivered the satellite to geostationary transfer orbit.

About 10 minutes after the launch, the first-stage booster landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The drone ships typically return to Port Canaveral several days later.

SpaceX engineers will gather data over the next few flights for also recovering the second stage of their rockets. CEO Elon Musk said that could cut the cost of launches down to less than $5 million.

The upgraded Falcon 9 is called the "Block 5." SpaceX says it will be capable of at least 10 launches, with fewer repairs or "down time" between missions. It's part of SpaceX's goal of "rapid reusability" and improved reliability for its rockets.

The next Space Coast launch is scheduled for May 24 with a mission to launch another communications satellite.

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