An unmanned SpaceX rocket has blasted off from a California launch pad and delivered 10 satellites into low Earth orbit.

It is the first batch of 70 satellites the private aerospace company is scheduled to send into orbit for Iridium, a Virginia-based mobile communications firm.

The flight marks the return to space for SpaceX after one of its Falcon 9 rockets exploded on a Florida launch pad during a test fire in September, destroying the rocket and its payload.

SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Tesla Motors chief executive Elon Musk.

It is the first private company to complete commercial space missions, including re-supply flights to the ISS. It has made over 30 successful launches to date, and seeks to be the first to offer passenger flights into space.