SpaceX launch: Stunning video shows Falcon 9 rocket emerging through fog

SpaceX has successfully launched and then landed another of its rockets, sent up to space carrying Canadian satellites.

As the Falcon 9 rocket flew away from Earth, it broke through the fog that surrounded the launchpad in a moment that was captured in stunning video, showing it emerging in a blaze of white and orange.

After it had dropped off the Canadian Space Agency's satellites, it travelled back down through the fog again, falling back to land on Earth. Residents of Los Angeles and the nearby area were told to listen out for a sonic boom as it returned.

The booster already made a similar journey back in March, when it took off and then dropped back down again to land. It was recovered and cleaned up, ready to be launched again.

The SpaceX rocket was carrying three satellites for the Canadian Space Agency's Earth-monitoring Radarsat program.

The Falcon 9 booster blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 7:17 a.m. Wednesday.

Deployment of the three satellites is scheduled to be complete just over an hour after liftoff.

The Radarsat satellites bounce signals off the Earth's surface to create images even during adverse weather conditions.

The images are used for a wide range of purposes, including monitoring sea ice, disaster management and agricultural and forestry management.

Additional reporting by Associated Press