Space
SpaceX Is Definitely Back! Successful Launch And Delivery Of The Satellites Done
Alex Davis
First Posted: Jan 17, 2017 03:00 AM EST
SpaceX is back. Months after the controversial explosion, Elon Musk's space company is back in the headlines again. Recently, the privately owned company successfully launched and delivered 10 commercial satellites.
SpaceX successfully launched an uncrewed rocket into orbit. The launch happened Saturday at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The lift off was marked as crucial and expensive, a test for the private space company in the aftermath of the recent misfire, according to the report by NPR.
SpaceX let the fans take a look at the whole process via live stream. Shortly after the lift off, the two-stage rocket detached its first stage. It landed almost accurately at the company's landing pad at the Pacific Ocean, according to CNBC.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried 10 commercial satellites for Iridium Communications, which operates a network of dozens of mobile communication satellites in the low-Earth orbit. The private space company is under contract with the Iridium to launch a goal of at least seven satellites into the orbit. It would be a series of launches and it started on Saturday.
The newly delivered satellites will replace the current network, in "what will be one of the largest 'tech upgrades' in history," according to SpaceX.
Meanwhile, it has been previously reported that NASA has booked more flights to send the astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The agency will be using the so-called space taxi built by SpaceX and Boeing. The missions will be approved to fly after NASA hands in the certification. At that time, the payments are not yet included.
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First Posted: Jan 17, 2017 03:00 AM EST
SpaceX is back. Months after the controversial explosion, Elon Musk's space company is back in the headlines again. Recently, the privately owned company successfully launched and delivered 10 commercial satellites.
SpaceX successfully launched an uncrewed rocket into orbit. The launch happened Saturday at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The lift off was marked as crucial and expensive, a test for the private space company in the aftermath of the recent misfire, according to the report by NPR.
SpaceX let the fans take a look at the whole process via live stream. Shortly after the lift off, the two-stage rocket detached its first stage. It landed almost accurately at the company's landing pad at the Pacific Ocean, according to CNBC.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried 10 commercial satellites for Iridium Communications, which operates a network of dozens of mobile communication satellites in the low-Earth orbit. The private space company is under contract with the Iridium to launch a goal of at least seven satellites into the orbit. It would be a series of launches and it started on Saturday.
The newly delivered satellites will replace the current network, in "what will be one of the largest 'tech upgrades' in history," according to SpaceX.
Meanwhile, it has been previously reported that NASA has booked more flights to send the astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The agency will be using the so-called space taxi built by SpaceX and Boeing. The missions will be approved to fly after NASA hands in the certification. At that time, the payments are not yet included.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone