Falcon 9 - Iridium Flight 5
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base just after sunrise on March 30, 2018 to take the fifth set of Iridium-NEXT satellites into orbit. The launch, employing a flight-proven booster, will bring the Iridium-NEXT deployment to the 66% mark with 50 of 75 satellites in orbit. Soaring almost due south from California, Falcon 9 will expend its first stage and complete a two-burn mission of the second stage to lift the ten satellites into a 625-Kilometer orbit.
Iridium-5 is the second mission for Iridium employing a flight-proven first stage, featuring Falcon 9 Booster 1041 that lifted the Iridium-3 satellites into orbit in October 2017.
Live Video by SpaceX
Launch Date: March 30, 2018 | Launch Updates |
Time: 14:13:51 UTC | Iridium-NEXT Overview |
Launch Site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg | Falcon 9 FT |
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 FT | Countdown Timeline |
Payload: 10 Iridium-NEXT (860kg each) | Launch Profile |
Ascent Duration: 72 Minutes | SpaceX Archive |
Target Orbit: 615 x 625 km, 86.66° |