Tag: Iridium
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Video: Falcon 9 lifts off at dusk from Vandenberg Air Force Base
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the Pacific coastline northwest of Los Angeles on Friday night, sending 10 Iridium communications satellites toward orbit on a previously-flown first stage booster. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket lifted off at 5:27:34 p.m. PST (8:27:34 p.m. EST; 0127:34 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 4-East…
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SpaceX puts 10 Iridium telecom satellites in orbit – and creates a spectacle in the sky
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX has sent 10 more satellites into orbit for the Iridium NEXT constellation, passing the halfway point in its 75-satellite launch contract. The satellites went into space aboard a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket launched at 5:27 p.m. PT today…
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Timeline for SpaceX’s fourth launch of Iridium satellites
Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket’s ascent to orbit with the fourth set of 10 next-generation satellites for Iridium’s voice and data relay fleet. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket will lift off Friday at 5:27 p.m. PST (8:27 p.m. EST; 0137 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX will not attempt…
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Live coverage: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket makes its final launch of the year
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with 10 next-generation Iridium communications satellites. SpaceX’s live video coverage begins at approximately 8:12 p.m. EST (0112 GMT; 5:12 p.m. PST). Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow…
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SpaceX close out 2017 campaign with Iridium-4 launch
SpaceX conducted its final launch of 2017 Friday, with a Falcon 9 lifting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base to deploy ten more Iridium-NEXT communications satellites. The launch, which occurred at 17:27:23 Pacific Time (01:27 UTC on Saturday), took place 61 seconds after a Japanese H-IIA rocket is lifted off on the other side of…
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Falcon 9 rocket set for launch Friday from California
A Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, is ready to be raised vertical on its launch pad for Friday’s liftoff. Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News SpaceX is set to close out a record-breaking 2017 launch campaign Friday night with the delivery of 10 more Iridium voice and data relay satellites to orbit…
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Iridium NEXT-4 on track for December launch from Vandenberg
While SpaceX continues to investigate a payload fairing issue, the company’s only two confirmed December missions remain on track for their respective launches, including Iridium NEXT-4. The Iridium NEXT-4 mission is not affected by the payload fairing issue and is processing toward a planned No Earlier Than 22 December launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base,…
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Space station cargo flight next on SpaceX’s launch schedule
File photo of a Dragon cargo capsule being readied for launch. Credit: SpaceX In a reshuffling of SpaceX’s launch schedule, a Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff no earlier than Dec. 8 on a mission to deliver several tons of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station and return to service a Cape…
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Iridium swaps two new Falcon 9 rockets for “flight-proven” boosters
A Falcon 9 first stage lands on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean in June following a liftoff with Iridium satellites. Credit: SpaceX Citing schedule concerns over price benefits, Iridium announced Thursday it will launch its next 20 satellites on a pair of previously-flown Falcon 9 boosters from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California,…
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Iridium-4 switches to flight-proven Falcon 9, RTLS at Vandenberg delayed
Iridium Communications – in the midst of launching their next generation communications constellation – has formally signed an agreement with SpaceX to utilize flight-proven Falcon 9 boosters on their upcoming Iridium NEXT-4 and -5 missions. Iridium NEXT-4, scheduled to launch NET 22 December 2017 from SLC-4E, will be the first flight-proven Falcon 9 mission from…