Shortly after sunrise on March 30, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California carrying 10 more satellites for the Iridium NEXT communications system.
This was the fifth such mission since January 2017.
SpaceX has carried out all Iridium NEXT launches as part of a $492 million contract. When completed, the spacecraft constellation will ultimately comprise 75 spacecraft equipped with the Certus next-generation communications platform as well as the Aireon aircraft tracking and surveillance system. Plans call for 66 operational satellites plus nine on-orbit spares.
Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch declared, “The new satellites and services we’re launching and continued strong subscriber growth are cementing our position as an industry leader and critical global communications platform.”
Thus far, according to SpaceX engineer Michael Hammersly, only three rockets have been needed to launch five sets of spacecraft. The first stage booster for this flight had previously been used to launch the third set of Iridium NEXT satellites last October. This was the second time SpaceX has flown a used rocket. A booster used to loft the Iridium NEXT-2 mission was later used for Iridium NEXT-4. Reusability is key to the Hawthorne-based company’s business model for reducing spacelift costs.
The rocket booster flown on this mission will not be reused a second time. SpaceX is phasing out its older models in favor of improved Falcon 9 rockets. For that reason the first stage was not recovered this time but instead splashed down in the ocean.
The company did attempt to recover the $6 million payload fairing using an elaborate system involving a parasail and a fast-moving boat with a large net that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk described as being similar in principle to a “catcher’s mitt.” Unfortunately, this time the parafoil became twisted, resulting in a high-velocity water impact. A previous attempt to recover a Falcon 9 fairing earlier this year was partially successful.