Breathtaking images show SpaceX Falcon 9 blasted into orbit

Amazing images show the moment SpaceX blasted a Falcon 9 rocket into space.

Breathtaking footage showed the rocket catapulted into the sky surrounded by plumes of smoke followed by a stream of fire.

The rocket was carrying the SES-12 satellite when it went into orbit on Monday at 12.45am local time from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The satellite was deployed approximately 45 minutes after the mesmerising lift-off.

Falcon 9’s first stage of the SES-12 mission was previously completed in September 2017, Space X did not try and recover Falcon 9’s first stage after that launch.

The satellite is the largest that SES has produced. The space craft was built by Airbus Defence and Space.

The SES-12 satellite is designed to allow telephone companies, mobile network operators and internet service providers to deliver more reliable cellular back haul and faster broadband service.

It will also provide television operators with additional capacity to deliver more content at a higher quality, Space X said.