Successful Placement of 10 Iridium Satellites Completed

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully delivered 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium. The 10 satellites are the first of at least 70 satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. SpaceX conducted the launch of Iridium-1 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The payloads for this launch are the first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites. Iridium NEXT will replace the world's largest commercial satellite network of low-earth orbit satellites in what will be one of the largest "tech upgrades" in history. Iridium has partnered with Thales Alenia Space for the manufacturing, assembly and testing of 81 Iridium NEXT satellites, at least 70 of which will be launched by SpaceX.  The process of replacing the satellites one-by-one in a constellation of this size and scale has never been completed before.

Iridium's primary launch campaign consists of seven SpaceX Falcon 9 launches, deploying ten Iridium NEXT satellites at a time. These 70 Iridium NEXT satellites are scheduled to be deployed by early 2018.

In addition to the successful placement of the new Iridium satellites, this launch marked the first recovery of a Falcon 9 First Stage in the pacific Ocean aboard the “Just Read the Instructions” robotic drone recovery ship. In a scene that is beginning to seem almost common place, the first stage landed near the center of the target on the recovery vehicle.

Launches back on the East Coast, with this successful event, are expected within weeks.

FMI: www.spacex.com