2nd LD: SpaceX launches 10 satellites for IRIDIUM on used rocket
Xinhua,March 31, 2018 Adjust font size:
LOS ANGELES, March 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. private spaceflight company SpaceX launched 10 communications satellites into orbit for Iridium Communications on a used Falcon 9 rocket from California on Friday.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 07:13 a.m. PDT, carrying 10 satellites for Iridium Communications, as part of the company's Iridium Next constellation.
About 2.37 minutes later, first and second stages separated.
"Second stage and @IridiumComm NEXT satellites now in coast phase," the company tweeted.
Falcon 9's first stage for the Iridium-5 mission previously supported the Iridium-3 mission from SLC-4E in October 2017. SpaceX didn't attempt to recover Falcon 9's first stage after launch.
Friday's mission, called Iridium-5, is the fifth set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium's next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT.
When complete, the constellation will consist of 66 operational satellites and nine spares in orbit. SpaceX has launched the first four missions, totaling 40 satellites, in 2017. Enditem