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Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 8 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/950440422127489024)

Will report next Iridium launch date soon. I CAN report that Iridium 5 will be directed to our orbital Plane #1 - all 10 will go into service there. It will also be a morning launch - probably a little before 8am local...
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/172686.jpg)

ЦитироватьPeter B. de Selding‏ @pbdes (https://twitter.com/pbdes) · 3h (https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/955438567026843650)

5th @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) launch for @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) - 10 2d-gen sats to LEO -- set for March 18 from Vandenberg AFB, Iridium says.

ЦитироватьIridium Announces Date for Fifth Iridium® NEXT Launch First Iridium launch of 2018 set to begin rapid launch cadence targeting completion by mid-year

MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that the fifth Iridium NEXT launch has been targeted by SpaceX for March 18, 2018 at 8:19 am PDT (15:19 UTC) fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The first of four launches planned for 2018, Iridium-5 will deliver 10 more Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit, bringing the total number of new satellites deployed to 50. This launch will use the same Falcon 9 first stage as the Iridium-3 launch that took place in October 2017 and begin a rapid-cadence launch schedule targeting completion of the Iridium manifest by mid-2018. 

"We are entering the home stretch," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer, at Iridium. "This is going to be a monumental year for us as we complete our constellation refresh. In addition to four launches, we will continue the testing and validation processes for our new specialty broadband service, Iridium CertusSM, and look forward to its commercial launch later this year. We consider 2017 to be a great success and anticipate this year to be even better."
The Iridium network is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 operational crosslinked satellites, for a total of 66 satellites in the active constellation. The Iridium-5 launch will deliver the new satellites to orbital plane 1, wh ere all 10 will go directly into service after testing and validation.  Following Iridium-5, the Iridium-6 Rideshare mission is targeted for mid-to-late April.  The Rideshare will carry five Iridium NEXT satellites and the twin satellites for the NASA/German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On mission. The final four launches will bring a total of 35 new satellites to space, completing the constellation of 66 operational satellites and 9 in-orbit spares.
Iridium NEXT is the company's $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. The constellation features 66 active satellites, plus nine on-orbit spares. In total, 81 new satellites are being built, with the six remaining satellites serving as ground spares. Iridium NEXT will replace the company's existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space.  It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely on to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more.
For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.IridiumNEXT.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=0QD-RCSBIGFRbHXvW6zQzP699UepcNNtNerOAx1DMJuoj8hOtdV8qH7TDUXg-IYuHNTvgjoA79io2MbeNqVPZAXf162l7XMvJ4_IJM0c9n8=)

About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. The company has a major development program underway for its next-generation network — Iridium NEXT. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Sel ect Market under the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium products, services and partner solutions, visit www.iridium.com.
 

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not purely historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has based these statements on its current expectations and the information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the timing for deployment, development and capabilities of the Iridium NEXT constellation and services to be offered over the constellation, including Iridium Certus. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words "anticipates," "may," "can," "believes," "expects," "projects," "intends," "likely," "will," "to be" and other expressions that are predictions or indicate future events, trends or prospects. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Iridium to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, uncertainties regarding potential delays in the Iridium NEXT deployment, the development and functionality of Iridium NEXT and related services, and the company's ability to maintain the health, capacity and content of its satellite constellation, as well as general industry and economic conditions, and competitive, legal, governmental and technological factors. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements include those factors listed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC" )  on February 23, 2017, as well as other filings Iridium makes with the SEC from time to time. There is no assurance that Iridium's expectations will be realized. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if Iridium's underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially fr om those expected, estimated or projected. Iridium's forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Iridium undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg)Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1) 44 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/966706862195400709)

Iridium now says their next launch has bumped back to March 29, after the Paz mission slipped.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185972.jpg)Tagnan‏ @mrtagnan (https://twitter.com/mrtagnan) 8 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/mrtagnan/status/967536158245883904)

@IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) approximately what time will Iridium 5 launch at? Close to sunset/sunrise or no?

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 7 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/967537172780810241)

7:20am pst. That's about 25 minutes after sunrise. Hard to terrorize Southern California that way, but we'll do our best...

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186288.jpg)Dark Energy‏ @Alejandro_DebH (https://twitter.com/Alejandro_DebH) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/Alejandro_DebH/status/967582506664022016)

It is PST or PDT? I think you change the clocks on the 11th there in America, right?

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss)

В ответ @Alejandro_DebH (https://twitter.com/Alejandro_DebH) @mrtagnan (https://twitter.com/mrtagnan)

How 'bout we do it this way?: 14:19:49 UTC


18:13 (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/967583418224730112) - 24 февр. 2018 г.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight)  14 ч.14 часов назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/970904252477526016) 

The next #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) launch isn't until the end of the month. (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125491.png)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185583.jpg)Stefan Barensky‏ @StefanBarensky (https://twitter.com/StefanBarensky) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/StefanBarensky/status/973177015791706113)

Les dix satellites de la cinquième grappe d'#IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) sont arrivés à Vandenberg. Lancement prévu à la fin du mois sur un #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) de @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX). @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) @Thales_Alenia_S (https://twitter.com/Thales_Alenia_S)
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(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 15 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/973191548375531520)

ARTICLE: Satellites for the fifth Iridium NEXT launch arrive at Vandenberg -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/03/satellites-fifth-iridium-next-launch-arrive-vandenberg/ ... (https://t.co/TvZMJXz5Ly)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174487.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174488.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174489.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174490.jpg)

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/116407.gif) (http://investor.iridium.com/index.cfm)

Mar 12, 2018
All 10 Satellites for the Fifth Iridium® NEXT Launch Have Arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base

Satellites are Undergoing Pre-Launch Preparation for Late-March SpaceX Launch, the First Iridium Launch of 2018

MCLEAN, Va., March 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that all 10 Iridium NEXT satellites for its fifth launch have arrived and are in processing at SpaceX's west coast launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This launch will increase the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 50 and is the second Iridium launch to use a "flight-proven" SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Iridium-5 is currently targeted for March 29, 2018 at 7:19 am PDT (14:19 UTC).

Спойлер

The operational Iridium constellation is comprised of 66 interconnected satellites, divided into six polar orbiting planes with 11 satellites in each plane — as well as nine additional in-orbit spares with one or two in each plane. Destined for Iridium orbital plane one, all 10 of the Iridium NEXT satellites deployed during this launch will immediately go into service following rigorous testing and validation. To date, four Iridium NEXT launches carrying 10 satellites each have been completed, and over half of the Iridium NEXT constellation has been put into active service. Iridium has contracted with SpaceX to deliver 75 Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit through a series of eight launches.

"Now that we are more than halfway deployed, we can really focus on the impact our next-generation of services will make on the industry," said Iridium CEO, Matt Desch. "Testing of our exciting new L-band broadband service, Iridium CertusSM, has been performing well, and with every successful launch, we are closer to bringing our full suite of Iridium NEXT solutions to life. With each day, we are meeting key milestones to complete our new network this year, and we can't wait to see this fifth set arrive in space to keep up the momentum."

This fifth launch will use the same Falcon 9 rocket first stage that carried the third set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit in October of 2017. Upon arrival to the launch site, each Iridium NEXT satellite begins a number of pre-launch processing steps including mating to the dispenser, fueling and encapsulation within the fairing. The satellites were shipped two at a time, in specially-designed motion and temperature-controlled containers designed to maintain optimal environmental conditions.

Iridium NEXT is the company's $3 billion next-generation mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. Iridium NEXT will replace the Company's existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely upon to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more. Iridium NEXT will enable and introduce new services like the Company's next-generation communications platform, Iridium Certus, and the AireonSM space-based ADS-B aircraft surveillance and flight tracking network.

For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.IridiumNEXT.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=YV3aTe0oajyPwfK137mPgudu9vpDLN8kyjubhfDVxOt07dk58eiiLzuRth5sUy6ZbKiQqB4zuWsx3H6_RPJc_mb9lzJA-BatCjXp9Txy3LI=).

Iridium is exhibiting at SATELLITE 2018 (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=FZhNd6P3UWXs9BAKCgkNRldpbkMk1lYGTyH0kHKNYLHW-MyzTjNxJumfDs9cy1krqwPheA59Aw0LqcvCR6jgHA==) in Washington, DC.  Visit booth #1801 between Tuesday, March 13th and Thursday, March 15th to learn more about Iridium and check out the new Iridium Augmented Reality experience.

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Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 9 ч.назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/974744947780935686)

#Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash) Update: Less than 2 weeks from the 5th #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) launch & all 10 satellites have been mated to their dispensers. Next steps include fueling, stacking & encapsulation- What fuel do they use? Check out our blog from last June... http://bit.ly/2pi6iyy  (https://t.co/dPZbh3YZHf) #freakyfuel (https://twitter.com/hashtag/freakyfuel?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174474.jpg)

ЦитироватьLaunch preps advance in California for next Falcon 9 flight
March 20, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/03/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144173.jpg)
All 10 Iridium Next satellites for the next Falcon 9 launch have arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for liftoff March 29. Credit: Iridium

SpaceX's fifth launch of replacement spacecraft for Iridium's global voice and data communications network is set for March 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a flight that Iridium hopes will signal the start of a brisk pace of West Coast missions to complete deployment of the telecom company's initial 75-satellite constellation this summer.

All 10 satellites assigned to the March 29 launch have been bolted on their SpaceX-built mounting platform for fueling, a procedure that was expected to conclude early this week.

Спойлер

Each of the satellites will weigh 1,896 pounds (860 kilograms) with a full load of hydrazine maneuvering propellant. The combination of the 10 satellites, plus their two-tier dispenser module, make the Iridium missions the heaviest payloads launched by SpaceX to date.

Built in Gilbert, Arizona, by Thales Alenia Space in partnership with Orbital ATK, the latest satellites set to join the Iridium Next fleet were trucked to Vandenberg Air Force Base in pairs, then passed post-shipment checkouts before their stacking on the deployment structure.

The schedule called for technicians to load around 361 pounds (164 kilograms) of hydrazine into each of the Iridium Next satellites over the weekend. The final major steps for the spacecraft will be their encapsulation inside the Falcon 9 rocket's payload shroud, which protects the satellites during their stay on the launch pad prior to liftoff, and during the first few minutes of flight through the dense lower atmosphere.

Meanwhile, SpaceX ground crews are preparing the Falcon 9 rocket inside the hangar at Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg. The booster launching March 29 first flew in October with the third set of Iridium Next satellites, then landed on SpaceX's rocket recovery vessel in the Pacific Ocean for refurbishment and reuse.

After completing a hold-down firing at the launch pad, the rocket will return to the hangar for workers to connect the Falcon 9's payload fairing and the Iridium Next satellites. The Falcon 9 will return to the launch pad, located around 1,000 feet (300 meters) from the hangar, around a day before liftoff.

The Falcon 9 will be hoisted vertical atop the launch mount for final pre-flight checks.

Launch is set for March 29 at 7:19:49 a.m. PDT (10:19:49 a.m. EDT; 1419:49 GMT). The instantaneous launch opportunity is timed to place the 10 payloads into Plane 1 of the Iridium network, which has spacecraft spread in six orbital planes, each with 11 spacecraft.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144172.jpg)
The 10 Iridium Next satellites set for launch March 29 have been attached to their mounting fixture. Credit: Iridium

The 10 new Iridium Next satellites launching next week will join 40 others lofted by four Falcon 9 launches last year. Iridium is deploying an upgraded voice and data relay network to replace an aging satellite fleet that launched in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Iridium has invested $3 billion in the new-generation system, purchasing 81 satellites from an industrial partnership between Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK, eight Falcon 9 launches from SpaceX, and modernized ground terminals to allow the company's more than 900,000 subscribers to connect to the network. The new satellites allow Iridium to debut voice and Internet capabilities, alongside the network's previous telephone, messaging and tracking applications.

"Now that we are more than halfway deployed, we can really focus on the impact our next-generation of services will make on the industry," said Iridium CEO, Matt Desch. "Testing of our exciting new L-band broadband service, Iridium Certus, has been performing well, and with every successful launch, we are closer to bringing our full suite of Iridium Next solutions to life. With each day, we are meeting key milestones to complete our new network this year, and we can't wait to see this fifth set arrive in space to keep up the momentum."

Earlier this month, Iridium said 34 of the Iridium Next satellites launched last year had entered service, meaning more than half of the 66 active satellites in the company's fleet were new members of the constellation. Three more were due to become operational by the end of March.

Besides their primary mobile communications function, the Iridium Next satellite also host instrumentation to track global air and maritime traffic.

Iridium and SpaceX have three more missions booked after next week's launch.

Five Iridium Next satellites will share a Falcon 9 launch from California in late April with two joint U.S.-German research satellites to probe Earth's gravity field. A launch date for that mission has not been confirmed, but filings with the Federal Communications Commission suggest the flight is scheduled for no earlier than April 28.

A launch in late April would occur around 3 p.m. PDT (6 p.m. EDT; 2200 GMT), based on the time that the Earth's rotation begins the Vandenberg launch base under the mission's targeted orbital plane.

Two dedicated Falcon 9 flights, each with 10 satellites on-board, will wrap up the Iridium Next launch sequence. Iridium expects the eighth and final launch in the series to occur in July, according to a company spokesperson.

Six of the 81 satellites Iridium purchased have not been booked for a launch, and will remain on Earth as ground spares for now. Iridium has not ruled out launching the final six Iridium Next satellites in the future.

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/976560623512416256)

#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) fairing recovery vessel Mr. Steven is out in the Pacific for (most likely) some testing. The vessel also did this before the PAZ launch last month. Mr. Steven is expected to perform another fairing recovery attempt during the Iridium-5 mission in about a week.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/976458898461876224)

We're 8 days out from #Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash) and excited to share our official #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) 5th launch patch! Check it out along with other collectibles here: http://bit.ly/2GazEZi  (https://t.co/wOQJn6u7nm) And, come launch day, we'll share the hidden meaning found within this patch. #IridiumRising (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumRising?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174416.jpg)

ЦитироватьNTTT

A0146/18 - AIRSPACE DEBRIS REENTRY WITHIN AN AREA BOUNDED BY:
2759S14719W 2754S14430W 2837S14208W 7232S13135W 7305S14638W
TO POINT OF ORIGIN
THIS AREA IS PROHIBITED DURING ACTIVITY. MSL - UNL, 1545-1640, 29 MAR 15:45
2018 UNTIL 02 APR 16:40 2018. CREATED: 20 MAR 20:20 2018

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 25 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/977637200887275520)

So next up we wait for locals in VandyLand to spot Falcon 9 booster (B1041.2) sat on SLC-4E. That should be soon if they are going for a NET Sunday morning Static Fire test ahead of Iridium NEXT-5. As always, subject to change.

ЦитироватьThe static fire test is currently scheduled on the Western Range to be conducted in a window that opens at 7 AM local time (14:00 UTC) on March 25, although this is subject to change.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/977913864820895744)

Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting March 29 launch of Iridium-5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 37 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/977914950415978496)

And there we go! Article for this static fire test:

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/03/falcon-9-vandenberg-static-fire-fifth-iridium-next-mission/ ... (https://t.co/u4dcDY5jGz)

- by Ian Atkinson (@IanPineapple (https://twitter.com/IanPineapple))

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png)Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm)

Iridium Corporate Ретвитнул(а) SpaceX

T-minus 4 to #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) launch 5!


Iridium Corporate добавил(а),

SpaceXПодлинная учетная запись @SpaceX
Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting March 29 launch of Iridium-5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 48 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/977993684166893568)

Everything is currently looking green for launch on Thursday morning. Satellites are all happy and buttoned up and ready to go. An early view of the weather is very positive too... Beginning my prelaunch rituals and happy thoughts #pleaseohpleaseohplease (https://twitter.com/hashtag/pleaseohpleaseohplease?src=hash)

ЦитироватьFlight-Proven Falcon 9 Completes Static Fire Test for 5th Iridium-NEXT Mission
March 25, 2018 (http://spaceflight101.com/flight-proven-falcon-9-completes-static-fire-test-for-5th-iridium-next-mission/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153152.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/jason-3/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/CYfKdlLUAAAaNlX.jpg)
Iridium-1 Static Fire – Credit: SpaceX

A previously-used Falcon 9 booster soared to life at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday for its Static Fire test ahead of lifting the fifth set of Iridium-NEXT communications satellites on Thursday, marking the start of a string of Falcon 9 missions lined up for March and April. Liftoff is targeting 14:19 UTC on March 29 to boost the number of Iridium-NEXT satellites in orbit to 50 as the Virginia-based communications company continues pushing toward having the full Iridium-NEXT constellation in operation by the end of summer.[/

Sunday's Static Fire test occurred near the opening of the day's test window at 7 a.m. and was expected to run for seven seconds to exercise the nine previously-flown Merlin 1D engines of Booster 1041, gearing up for its second Low Earth Orbit mission. The booster was first in action for the third Iridium-NEXT (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-3/) mission in October 2017 and successfully returned via a Drone Ship landing in the Pacific Ocean as SpaceX has yet to conduct its first return-to-launch-site recovery from Vandenberg.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152653.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DCySwHOV0AEd1zW.jpg)
Ten Iridium NEXT Satellites integrated for Launch (File Image) – Credit: SpaceX

Thursday's launch will mark SpaceX's sixth of the year, the fifth with Falcon 9 and the third Falcon 9 mission with a used first stage. It is to be followed by a series of Falcon 9 missions out of Florida with a Dragon resupply craft (http://spaceflight101.com/dragon-spx14/cargo-overview/) set to begin its trip to the International Space Station on April 2nd, NASA's TESS (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/) exoplanet hunter is aiming for a minute-long launch window on the 16th and the Bangabandhu-1 and SES 12 satellites are set for Geotransfer deliveries at some point in April if the manifest stands.

Having crossed the halfway point with December's Iridium-4 mission, Thursday's launch of ten constellation members will reach the two-thirds mark with 50 satellites in orbit and 25 left on the ground, set to be launched by the end of August via two dedicated Falcon 9 missions and a shared ride between five Iridiums and two GRACE-FO gravity-sensing satellites. The shared mission had been scheduled for April 28 while Iridium-7 was looking at a June launch target; however, these dates have recently been placed under review with a likelihood of moving to the right.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152652.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Co3hUwvWAAAeFwl.jpg)
Photo: Iridium Communications (File)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152615.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-1/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IridiumNEXTSatConfig.jpg)
Image: Iridium Communications

The replacement of the entire first generation Iridium fleet with much-improved Iridium-NEXT satellites is the most extensive constellation upgrade ever performed – coming with a price tag near $3 billion and requiring an assembly-line style satellite integration architecture to keep up the pace needed for sending 75 satellites into orbit in a period of only one and a half years.

The original Iridium constellation began deployment in May 1997 and, at operational strength, consists of 66 active satellites in six orbital planes at an altitude of 780 Kilometers plus operational spares to replace satellites in case of problems.

Carefully spaced in their orbital planes, the Iridium satellites communicate with user terminals on the ground and route communications packages to their destinations through satellite-to-satellite links between members of each plane and satellites in neighboring planes. Given its low altitude and high inclination, Iridium is the only constellation currently in operation that can offer truly global coverage (including the poles that are difficult to serve from Geostationary Orbit).

Built by Thales Alenia and integrated by Orbital ATK, each Iridium-NEXT satellite weighs 860 Kilograms and covers a 4,700-Kilometer wide footprint – connecting to user terminals through a large L-Band antenna. Typical services offered by Iridium-NEXT are voice and data communications with mobile terminals at up to 1.5Mbit/s while a high-speed Ka-Band service is available for larger fixed and transportable terminals at data rates up to 8Mbit/s.

>> Iridium-NEXT Satellite & Constellation Overview (http://spaceflight101.com/spacecraft/iridium-next/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152633.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-3/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/36984623903_7bb6643649_o.jpg)
Iridium-3 Launch – Photo: SpaceX

Thursday's launch will likely be the final mission for Block 4 Booster 1041 if SpaceX follows a recent pattern of expending boosters not deemed suitable for more than two flights. The booster rolled off the production line at SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne last summer and went through acceptance testing at the company's McGregor, Texas facility in September before shipment to Vandenberg to meet its Block 4 second stage for a Static Fire Test and integration with the ten Iridium satellites. It lifted off before sunrise on October 9, 2017 and played an active role in the third Iridium delivery for 144 seconds before separating from the second stage and mastering a nighttime landing on the "Just Read The Instructions" Drone Ship.

Returning to land via the Port of Los Angeles, the sooty booster went through refurbishment in Hawthorne, including non-invasive inspections on its nine engines and welds as well as the replacement of some thermal protection material around the engine section. It departed Hawthorne in late February to enter its second Vandenberg processing campaign – meeting a factory-new second stage before rolling out to the SLC-4E launch pad.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152716.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-11/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DL967BrUMAEKjH9.jpg)
Iridium-3 Booster in Port – Photo: Pauline Acalin, @w00ki33 on Twitter

Falcon 9 was spotted on the launch pad on Saturday and entered a lengthy countdown under a veil of darkness as Sunday's test window opened just moments after sunrise at the Pacific-side launch complex. Tanking began at the T-70-minute mark when Kerosene began flowing into the two-stage rocket followed at T-35 minutes by the expedited Liquid Oxygen tanking sequence designed to load the sub-cooled oxidizer as close to T-0 as possible to prevent it from warming excessively.

Although the second stage is only a bystander in the brief ignition of the booster, it also goes through a complete tanking and pressurization cycle to put its systems through integrity checks as they would occur on launch day. Standing fully loaded with over 500 metric tons of propellant, Falcon 9 was to be handed control at the T-1 minute mark to oversee the countdown to ignition of the nine Merlin 1D engines. For missions employing a new booster, SpaceX deems a 3.5-second firing sufficient to check the start-up parameters of the engines while used boosters fire for seven seconds to collect additional data with all engines running at their operational thrust.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152665.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/iridiumnext-l3-2.jpeg)
Photo: Iridium (File)

After going through an orderly shutdown, Falcon 9 was to be safed while engineering teams went through a quick-look review to a) ensure the firing met its planned duration and b) verify all required performance parameters were captured to head into deeper reviews. SpaceX confirmed the successful completion of the Static Fire test via Twitter, indicating all initial reviews were nominal – also confirming the March 29 launch target.

After safing steps, propellants were to be drained from both stages in preparation for the rocket's return to the Horizontal Integration Facility for the installation of the payloads on Monday and Tuesday.

The fifth Iridium set began shipment to Vandenberg on February 23, one day after the Falcon 9 with Spain's PAZ satellite (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-paz/) vacated the launch pad. Arriving at the launch site, the satellites went through final checks before taking their slots around the two-tier launch adapter and receiving maneuvering propellant for their missions.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152654.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DY5iQ3eWAAA9oP2.jpg)
Image: Thales Alenia

Once the encapsulated stack is attached to Falcon 9, the fully integrated launch vehicle will be cleared for rollout – provided a green-light is given by the upcoming Launch Readiness Review. Liftoff on Thursday is targeting 14:19 UTC, 7:19 a.m. local time, just under half an hour after sunrise, and the mission will follow the typical Iridium ascent profile comprising two second stage burns for deployment of the ten satellites into a 625-Kilometer orbit by T+72 minutes.

Under Iridium's constellation management plan, the mission is targeting Plane 1 of the six-plane constellation with no drifting planned after launch and all members of the mission heading into operational slots in the first plane. Earlier this week, Iridium CEO Matt Desch announced on Twitter that Planes 2 and 4 are now completely filled with Iridium NEXT satellites after successful drifting and slot-swap campaigns. The company is hoping to have all operational constellation slots filled with upgraded satellites by "late summer."

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьNAVAREA XII 121/2018 (GEN)

PACIFIC OCEAN.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 291327Z TO 291502Z MAR,
   ALTERNATE 1327Z TO 1502Z DAILY 30 MAR THRU 02 APR
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   28-04N 119-51W, 28-05N 121-19W,
   31-00N 121-19W, 30-59N 119-52W.
2. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 291548Z TO 291639Z MAR,
   ALTERNATE 1548Z TO 1639Z DAILY 30 MAR THRU 02 APR
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   27-59S 147-19W, 27-54S 144-30W,
   28-37S 142-08W, 72-32S 131-35W,
   73-05S 146-38W.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 021739Z APR 18.

( 250333Z MAR 2018 )

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186344.jpg)Matt Hartman‏ @ShorealoneFilms (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms) 15 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/978456059659485184)

how are the winds looking ....

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss)

В ответ @ShorealoneFilms (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms)

Looks pretty good so far from my personal weather sources, but haven't seen an official Air Force upper level winds forecast yet.

19:20 (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/978456809546665984) - 26 мар. 2018 г.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 19 ч.19 часов назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/978394083902173184)


В ответ @Teslarati (https://twitter.com/Teslarati) @13ericralph31 (https://twitter.com/13ericralph31) @_TomCross_ (https://twitter.com/_TomCross_)

How cool is it that this Iridium-3 booster will be re-used for the Iridium-5 launch this week! Can't wait to see it fly one more time.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174821.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 19 мин.19 минут назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/978704561622929408)

Hmm... so a since-deleted tweet from just a few moments ago indicates that #Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash) *might be* slipping from Thurs. to NET 3/31 or into next week due to issue with 1 of the 10 sats set to launch. Let's see what happens here. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg)Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1) 26 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/978703448697958400)

Iridium confirms delay of Falcon 9 launch of 10 new mobile communications satellites from Thursday to no earlier than Saturday morning at Vandenberg AFB.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/978709671556141056)

We are having an issue with 1 of the 10 satellites in prep for #Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash). Our supplier and launch team is resetting for NET 3/31, with potential to shift into next week, if not resolved quickly. Launch success is priority #1! Will provide more info as available.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174883.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186297.jpg)SpaceXUpdates‏ @SpaceXUpdates (https://twitter.com/SpaceXUpdates) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceXUpdates/status/978710941276794882)

Do we have a time for T-0 on this new launch date? Thanks.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss)

В ответ @SpaceXUpdates (https://twitter.com/SpaceXUpdates)

Should be approximately 7:08am local if it goes on 3/31.

12:14 (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/978711815269036032) - 27 мар. 2018 г.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 7 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/978795278118653952)

Positive update to our satellite and launch delay. Just been apprised there has been a technical resolution; satellites and F9 are in great shape and ready to go! Was ground harness test cable issue - now fixed. Launch now pulled back to Friday, 3/30 at 7:14am pdt! #GoTeam (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoTeam?src=hash)!

ЦитироватьGround equipment problem slips next Falcon 9 launch to Friday
March 27, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/03/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144186.jpg)
File photo of an Iridium Next satellite. Credit: Thales Alenia Space

Trouble with a piece of ground equipment used for testing of the 10 Iridium communications satellites aboard the next Falcon 9 rocket launch has forced a 24-hour delay in the mission to Friday, officials said Tuesday.

Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base is now scheduled for 7:14 a.m. PDT (10:14 a.m. EDT; 1414 GMT) Friday.

Matt Desch, Iridium's chief executive, said ground crews preparing the satellites for launch uncovered a problem with ground equipment that initially caused officials to expect the launch to be put off from Thursday until Saturday. A further examination of the issue led officials to declare the mission could blast off Friday.

Спойлер

"It turned out to be an obscure problem with communication harnesses used for testing on the ground, and have now been fixed," Desch tweeted Tuesday night. "Stubborn problem to find; kudos to combined teams for working round the clock to resolve."

Earlier Tuesday, Desch posted an update on Twitter saying there was a problem with one of Iridium's 10 satellites slated to ride the Falcon 9 rocket into orbit.

He tweeted again Tuesday night saying the issue was not with one of the spacecraft, but with ground equipment used for data connectivity during pre-flight testing.

"Positive update to our satellite and launch delay," Desch tweeted. "Just been apprised there has been a technical resolution; satellites and F9 are in great shape and ready to go! Was ground harness test cable issue – now fixed."

"Satellites were always fine; just couldn't talk to one," he wrote later.

SpaceX and Iridium have a backup launch opportunity Saturday on the Western Range at Vandenberg Air Force, a spaceport on the Central Coast of California northwest of Los Angeles.

The launch will be the fifth for Iridium's new-generation voice and data relay satellite fleet. Each previous launch has carried 10 satellites to orbit, all using SpaceX Falcon 9 boosters from Vandenberg.

The rocket launching Friday will use a previously-flown first stage that sent 10 Iridium satellites toward orbit in October 2017.

SpaceX's launch team completed a hold-down firing of the first stage Sunday at Vandenberg. Engineers use the static fire test as a countdown rehearsal for the launch team, which oversees the loading of super-chilled kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants before igniting the first stage's nine Merlin 1D engines on the pad.

After the brief firing, ground crews rolled the rocket back to the hangar near the launch facility for attachment of the 10 Iridium Next satellites inside their payload fairing, the structure that shields the spacecraft during the first few minutes of flight through the dense layers of the lower atmosphere.

Iridium has invested $3 billion in the new-generation system, purchasing 81 satellites from an industrial partnership between Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK, eight Falcon 9 launches from SpaceX, and modernized ground terminals to allow the company's more than 900,000 subscribers to connect to the network. The new satellites allow Iridium to debut voice and Internet capabilities, alongside the network's previous telephone, messaging and tracking applications.

SpaceX has another launch scheduled for Monday, April 2, from Cape Canaveral with a Dragon supply ship heading for the International Space Station. Like the Iridium launch Friday, the resupply mission will lift off aboard a reused Falcon 9 first stage.

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 32 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979064452145348610)

For those like me who appreciate precision: the exact, instantaneous launch time Friday morning for #Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash) is 07:13:51 PDT (14:13:51 UTC). #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 52 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/979124866896007168)

NRC Quest just departed the Port of LA and is heading to the landing zone. This means that #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) will likely perform an ocean landing test during the #Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash) mission. NRC Quest will be able to collect telemetry from the booster.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174679.jpg)

Цитировать

IRIDIUM-5 MISSION

SpaceX is targeting Friday, March 30 for a Falcon 9 launch of the Iridium-5 NEXT mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This 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. The instantaneous launch opportunity is at 7:13 a.m. PDT, or 14:13 UTC, and the satellites will begin deployment about an hour after launch.

A backup instantaneous launch opportunity is available on Saturday, March 31 at 7:08 a.m. PDT or 14:08 UTC. Falcon 9's first stage for the Iridium-5 mission previously supported the Iridium-3 mission from SLC-4E in October 2017. SpaceX will not attempt to recover Falcon 9's first stage after launch.

You can ... find out more about the mission in our press kit. (http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/iridium-5_press_kit.pdf)

Цитироватьна сайте SpaceX

spacex.com/webcast (http://www.spacex.com/webcast)

или

на ТыТрубе

youtube.com/watch?v=mp0TW8vkCLg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp0TW8vkCLg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/979348717173174274)

#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) fairing recovery vessel Mr. Steven is on her way to the recovery zone off the coast of Baja California ahead of the Iridium-5 mission.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 9 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/979414289541771264)

Weather forecast looks excellent for our launch tomorrow morning. Light northeasterly winds should hopefully hold the marine layer offshore for a takeoff about 15 minutes after dawn. #GoIridiumL5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoIridiumL5?src=hash)!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/979433887809097728)

The destination showing for Mr. Steven on MarineTraffic is "Iridium-5." No secrets being held back for this launch! (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125472.png)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 26 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979506616121704448)

Falcon 9 is vertical on the SpaceX launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in advance of the Iridium-5 mission. All systems and weather are go for tomorrow's launch at 7:13 a.m. PDT, 14:13 UTC.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174743.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/135655.png) (https://www.iridium.com/)

Iridium-5 is Vertical for Launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base
by Frank Johnson (https://www.iridium.com/blog/author/frank-johnsoniridium-com/) | Mar 29, 2018 | Iridium NEXT (https://www.iridium.com/blog/category/iridium-next/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/135656.jpg)

Iridium Communications, in partnership with SpaceX, is prepared to launch its fifth set of 10 Iridium® NEXT satellites tomorrow, March 30th, on SpaceX's flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket. The full payload and rocket have been transported to the launch pad, and the rocket is vertical for launch. The payload has an instantaneous launch window scheduled for 7:13:51 am PDT. Once deployed, there will be a total of 50 Iridium NEXT satellites in low earth orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket first stage being used in tomorrow's launch was previously flown during Iridium's third launch, which successfully took place in October 2017.

Спойлер

Iridium NEXT is the company's $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. These new satellites are replacing the company's existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely upon to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more. Iridium NEXT will enable and introduce new services like the Company's next-generation broadband service, Iridium CertusSM.

Want to watch the launch live? Tune into the SpaceX webcast here for a live feed of Iridium-5 – www.spacex.com/webcast (http://www.spacex.com/webcast)

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьPhotos: Falcon 9 rocket stands vertical at Vandenberg
March 30, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/03/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set to loft the fifth batch of Iridium Next mobile communications satellites stands vertical on Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

The two-stage rocket, towering 229 feet (70 meters) tall, is set for liftoff at 7:13:51 a.m. PDT (10:13:51 a.m. EDT; 1413:51 GMT ) Friday with 10 Iridium Next spacecraft on-board.

Спойлер

The Falcon 9's first stage previously flew in October 2017 with an earlier set of Iridium Next satellites.

These photos of the Falcon 9 rocket, backdropped by a marine fog layer over the Pacific Ocean, were taken as photographers set up remote cameras near the launch pad Thursday.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144201.jpg)
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144202.jpg)
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144203.jpg)
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144204.jpg)
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144205.jpg)
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144206.jpg)
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144207.jpg)
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144200.jpg)
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьIridium boss senses shift in SpaceX rhythm with another launch set for Friday
March 29, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/03/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144176.jpg)
The Falcon 9 rocket set to launch Iridium's fifth batch of new-generation voice and data relay satellites stands on its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

On the eve of the Iridium's fifth launch with SpaceX, the mobile telecom satellite operator's chief executive says he no longer has to wait for SpaceX's rockets to be ready. Instead, Iridium's satellite team is racing to keep pace churning spacecraft off their assembly line.

That is a different tune than Iridium was singing as recently as last year, when launch pad bottlenecks and SpaceX's rocket production schedule were the main drivers in setting launch dates for the company's upgraded satellite fleet.

Matt Desch, Iridium's CEO, has returned to California's Central Coast for the fifth launch of the company's new-generation "Iridium Next" message relay satellites.

"It's all familiar to me," Desch said in a phone interview Wednesday. "We know where we want to stay. We know what it's like to visit the pad and to watch the launch. I know that I'll feel pretty much the same way I always do at T-minus 20 minutes in the countdown. That is an extraordinary experience to know that so much is riding on such a short period of time."

Ten more Iridium Next satellites are closed up inside the nose of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket awaiting liftoff at 7:13:51 a.m. PDT (10:13:51 a.m. EDT; 1413:51 GMT) Friday from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Спойлер

Each of the 1,896-pound (860-kilogram) satellites carries an L-band antenna for voice and and data connections to the telephones and data terminals on the ground. The spacecraft are fitted with Ka-band cross-link radios to bounce voice and data messages from satellite to satellite in orbit, ensuring the network can reach Iridium's more than 900,000 subscribers anywhere on the globe.

The Iridium Next satellites, built in partnership by Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK in an assembly line fashion in Gilbert, Arizona, will maintain and upgrade Iridium's aging network offering uninterrupted global messaging and telephone service, and introduce new higher-bandwidth applications, such as video. They also host instrumentation to track airplanes and ships.

Four successful SpaceX missions have lofted 40 satellites since January 2017, most recently in December. Like the launch that closed out last year, Friday's mission will be powered by a previously-flown Falcon 9 first stage booster, the same vehicle that shot 10 Iridium Next satellites into space in October.

"I'm trying to make this as routine as possible, but it's very hard to during the launch," Desch said. "I'm excited, as always. I think it's going to be the same incredible feeling when we get through it, and then it'll be, let's get the next one done."

Iridium and SpaceX hoped to launch a new batch of satellites on Falcon 9 rockets every two months, starting with the second Iridium Next deployment flight in June 2017. Friday's mission will be the fourth launch by Iridium and SpaceX in nine months, not far off their schedule.

"I'm satisfied. It's meeting our needs," Desch said of the launch cadence. "We really are focused on completing our Iridium Next constellation this year. I'd like it completed in the third quarter if possible. What I'm really pleased with is that SpaceX has stepped up this year so far. I saw a quote from (SpaceX president and chief operating officer) Gwynne (Shotwell) last week saying it's nice that she's waiting on her customers versus the other way around. I think that, at least as it relates to us, is true. We've just got to get the satellites ready.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143807.png)
Artist's illustration of the Iridium constellation. Credit: Thales Alenia Space

"Unlike last year, when we might have been waiting for SpaceX, I think this year I'm trying to make sure my suppliers are delivering fast enough to go as quickly as possible," Desch said.

Late last year, technicians at the Iridium Next satellite factory near Phoenix were outpacing SpaceX's rocket and launch pad availability, completing spacecraft and storing them until they were ready for transport to the California launch base.

"We've had a bit of a slowdown over the last couple of months over some parts availability," Desch said. "That seems to be picking back up. I'm in a bit in a race condition to make sure that we get finished with the final two launches as early as possible. It's still happening this year, and I don't think there's any risk of it not finishing by, say, late summer. That's been the focus. It's nice that I'm not really begging SpaceX to move faster."

An example case: The upcoming flight was supposed to take off Thursday, but trouble with a piece of ground equipment used to test the Iridium satellites before launch forced a 24-hour delay to Friday.

Desch decided in October to begin flying Iridium satellites on Falcon 9 rockets with reused first stages.

At the time, he said made the change after receiving assurances the previously-flown boosters were no more risky — and perhaps less so — than a newly-built rocket. The switch to reused rockets also kept Iridium's launch campaigns on schedule — it was clear that waiting for new boosters from SpaceX's factory would delay the upgraded network's deployment, Desch said.

"We'd be in a different place if we were using new rockets," Desch said.

The next Iridium satellite launch after Friday, set for early May, will also fly on a reused booster. Only five Iridium Next payloads will ride to orbit on that mission, a shared flight with two U.S.-German gravity research probes.

Rocket assignments for the seventh and eighth Iridium Next launches — the final two of the current program — have not been confirmed.

"It's still primarily schedule," Desch said. "There's a little bit of savings in each rocket. When you're looking at a $3 billion program, you wouldn't be doing this to get a few million dollars, here or there, in savings. I'm not saying those aren't appreciated and noted, but the reason I don't spend a lot of time talking about them is that wasn't the top driver for us."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144167.jpg)
Matt Desch, Iridium's CEO. Credit: Space Foundation

More than half of the 66 Iridium Next satellites required to fully replace the company's Block 1 spacecraft are now in service.

"If you look at the service, every customer is getting a new satellite about 60 percent of the time," Desch said.

Iridium ordered 81 satellites from the Thales Alenia Space/Orbital ATK team, including 15 spares. SpaceX is under contract to launch 75 of the satellites, and launch plans for the remaining six have not been finalized.

Like the previous four Iridium Next launches, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will soar to the south from Vandenberg Air Force Base after liftoff Friday, aiming for a 388-mile-high (625-kilometer) polar orbit.

The Falcon 9's second stage will ignite two times to place the satellites in the correct orbit, then release the spacecraft one-by-one about one hour after launch.

The liftoff from Vandenberg, a military base on the Pacific coast northwest of Los Angeles, is timed to place the 10 Iridium Next satellites into Plane 1 of the constellation. The network's 66 active satellites are spread out in six orbital planes, providing uniform coverage worldwide.

SpaceX does not plan to land the Falcon 9's first stage on Friday's mission, a strategy the company has followed in recent months to clear older-generation boosters from its recovered inventory. The upgraded "Block 5" version of the Falcon 9, designed for multiple reuses, is scheduled to debut late next month.

A ship SpaceX has modified to try to catch the Falcon 9 rocket's payload fairing — the shroud that protects the Iridium satellites during launch — has been tracked heading a downrange zone in the Pacific Ocean, suggesting engineers hope to retrieve part of the shroud. An experiment in February to try and catch the fairing, which separates from the rocket in two halves, after launch resulted in a near-miss.

Friday's launch will mark the sixth Falcon 9 flight of the year, and SpaceX's seventh mission overall in 2018, including the demo flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket in February.

SpaceX officials at the beginning of the year said their manifest had up to 30 missions booked for 2018. Eighteen Falcon 9 rockets launched last year, an record for the company in one calendar year.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьLive coverage: Falcon 9 rocket set for liftoff with fifth set of Iridium Next satellites
March 30, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/03/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

03/30/2018 09:12 Stephen Clark

On the eve of the Iridium's fifth launch with SpaceX, the mobile telecom satellite operator's chief executive says he no longer has to wait for SpaceX's rockets to be ready. Instead, Iridium's satellite team is racing to keep pace churning spacecraft off their assembly line.

Спойлер

That is a different tune than Iridium was singing as recently as last year, when launch pad bottlenecks and SpaceX's rocket production schedule were the main drivers in setting launch dates for the company's upgraded satellite fleet.

Matt Desch, Iridium's CEO, has returned to California's Central Coast for the fifth launch of the company's new-generation "Iridium Next" message relay satellites.

"It's all familiar to me," Desch said in a phone interview Wednesday. "We know where we want to stay. We know what it's like to visit the pad and to watch the launch. I know that I'll feel pretty much the same way I always do at T-minus 20 minutes in the countdown. That is an extraordinary experience to know that so much is riding on such a short period of time."

Ten more Iridium Next satellites are closed up inside the nose of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket awaiting liftoff at 7:13:51 a.m. PDT (10:13:51 a.m. EDT; 1413:51 GMT) Friday from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Read our full story.

[свернуть]

Цитировать03/30/2018 14:53 Stephen Clark

The weather forecast for this morning's launch is favorable, with light surface winds, temperatures hovering around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and mostly clear skies expected.

ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:
Джентльмены, скажите пожалуйста: а есть где-нибудь схема структуры орбитальной группировки Иридимов? Чтоб можно было увидеть где когда какой спутник в какой позиции?

Цитировать03/30/2018 16:00 Stephen Clark

SpaceX's launch conductor is polling the Falcon 9 launch team to ensure all stations are ready to begin loading propellant into the rocket.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/979705257252020224)

GO for automated countdown confirmed. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 31 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979708397900713985)

RP-1 Kerosene load into Stage 2 has now begun. Flight area and Range CLEAR for launch. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/979708475432456192)

One hour to today's instantaneous window for Iridium-5, set for the optimized in-plane launch time to reach Plane 1 of the six-plane Iridium constellation. All ten satellites launching today will enter operational slots within Plane 1, no drifting will be required.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979708987351461889)

Automated Flight Termination System (AFTS) down-range tracking station reporting GREEN and ready to support launch today.

ЦитироватьLaunch timeline for Iridium's fifth launch with SpaceX
March 30, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/03/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket's ascent to orbit with the fifth set of 10 next-generation satellites for Iridium's voice and data relay fleet.

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket will lift off Friday at 7:13:51 a.m. PDT (10:13:51 a.m. EDT; 1413:51 GMT) Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Спойлер

SpaceX will not attempt to recover the first stage on Friday's mission.

Data source: SpaceX

T-0:00:00: Liftoff

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143760.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143760.png)
After the rocket's nine Merlin 1D engines pass an automated health check, the Falcon 9 is released from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

T+0:01:16: Max-Q

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143763.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143763.png)
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure. The first stage's nine Merlin 1D engines produce about 1.7 million pounds of thrust.

T+0:02:34: MECO

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31294.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31294.jpg)
The Falcon 9's nine Merlin 1D engines shut down.

T+0:02:37: Stage 1 Separation

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31295.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31295.jpg)
The Falcon 9's first stage separates from the second stage moments after MECO.

T+0:02:39: Stage 2 Ignition

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143761.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143761.png)
The second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignites for an approximately 6-and-a-half-minute burn to inject the Iridium Next satellites into a parking orbit.

T+0:03:28: Fairing Jettison

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143758.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143758.png)
The 5.2-meter (17.1-foot) diameter payload fairing jettisons once the Falcon 9 rocket ascends through the dense lower atmosphere. The 43-foot-tall fairing is made of two clamshell-like halves composed of carbon fiber with an aluminum honeycomb core.
 
T+0:09:02: SECO 1

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143762.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143762.png)
The Merlin 1D vacuum engine turns off after placing the Iridium satellites in a temporary parking orbit, beginning at 43-minute coast in space.

T+0:52:05: Stage 2 Restart

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143759.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143759.png)
The Falcon 9's second stage engine ignites again for an 11-second burn to circularize its orbit.

T+0:52:16: SECO 2

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143765.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143765.png)
The Merlin 1D vacuum engine shuts down after reaching a target orbit about 388 miles (625 kilometers) high with an inclination of 86 degrees.

T+0:57:16: Begin Iridium Deployments

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143815.png)
The 1,896-pound (860-kilogram) Iridium Next satellites begin deploying from their two-tier dispenser on the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage, separating at intervals of approximately every 90 seconds.

T+1:12:03: End Iridium Deployments

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143816.png)
The last of the 10 Iridium Next satellites will separate from the rocket.

[свернуть]

Цитировать03/30/2018 16:30  Stephen Clark

Some statistics on today's launch:

[/li]
• 51st launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010
• 57th launch of Falcon rocket family since 2006
• 9th Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base
• 31st launch of the upgraded Falcon 9
• 7th upgraded Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base
• 5th launch for Iridium by SpaceX
• 27th overall launch with Iridium satellites
• 8th launch of Thales Alenia Space payloads on Falcon 9
• 32nd Falcon 9 day launch
• 5th Falcon 9 launch of 2018
• 6th launch by SpaceX in 2018
• 3rd launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2018
  

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979713539811237888)

Range confirms that is is GO FOR LAUNCH!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979715221756547073)

OK. Remember the plan. NO landing recovery for this booster. Likely there will be boost back and landing burns, but for data gathering only. FAIRING RECOVERY attempt is expected w/ Mr. Steven in position to try to catch the fairing.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979717260314120192)

T-25mins: All remains GO at this time. There are no technical or weather issues being worked at this time.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/979720291285897216)

#Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) Flight Profile: http://bit.ly/2pGa9VC  (https://t.co/1B8LzlNQTW) Stage 1 operates for 154 sec before heading for a soft splashdown; Stage 2 will burn for 6.5 minutes to reach a preliminary orbit followed by 43min of coasting & a critical re-start to reach a 625km orbit for S/C separation.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174772.jpg)

Цитироватьtnt22 пишет: 

ЦитироватьСтарый пишет: 
Джентльмены, скажите пожалуйста: а есть где-нибудь схема структуры орбитальной группировки Иридимов? Чтоб можно было увидеть где когда какой спутник в какой позиции?

6 опорных плоскостей по 11 КА в каждой + орб. резерв + запас на Земле. Навскидку, первое, что попалось

http://www.n2yo.com/satellites/?c=15&srt=2&dir=0 (http://www.n2yo.com/satellites/?c=15&srt=2&dir=0) 

Далее не копал...

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 54 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979725811677908995)

Engine shutdown! Stage 2 "nominal orbit insertion!"

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/979725913242861570)

Good parking orbit.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174774.jpg)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/979726001931472898)

#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) reports a good Parking Orbit was achieved, but will not provide any more video from the second stage due to a "NOAA Restriction." NOAA apparently shrugging their shoulders...

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979725919148388357)

Second stage and @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) NEXT satellites now in coast phase.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979726145653440514)

Stage 2 still has one more burn coming up at T+52mins 5secs.

ЦитироватьSpaceX Falcon 9 launches Iridium-5

SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)

Опубликовано: 30 мар. 2018 г.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186373.jpg)Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/979726332320915462)

Attempting recovery of fairing falling down from space (right now) with our boat, Mr Steven. It's a giant steel & webbing catcher's mitt superstructure on a high-speed ocean ship. Godspeed, Mr. S ...

ЦитироватьIridium-5 Mission

SpaceX (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtI0Hodo5o5dUb67FeUjDeA)

Трансляция началась 43 минуты назад

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185855.jpg)Loren Grush‏Подлинная учетная запись @lorengrush (https://twitter.com/lorengrush) 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/lorengrush/status/979727926102028288)

NOAA rep right now: I'm not aware that we're even involved in a SpaceX launch today.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 7 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/979728290071097346)

We'll need to get to the bottom of this NOAA/webcast situation. SpaceX says it was "their restrictions" NOAA say "Wasn't us, guv!" Smart money is on a NOAA plane (unavailable today) providing a link between the second stage and ground stations, but we don't know for sure.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186373.jpg)Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/979730904087068672)

Mr Steven is 5 mins away from being under the falling fairing (don't have live video)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/135655.png) (https://www.iridium.com/)

The Iridium Phoenix – Decoding the 5th Launch Patch

by Eames Ashley (https://www.iridium.com/blog/author/ashley-eamesiridium-com/) | Mar 30, 2018 | Iridium NEXT (https://www.iridium.com/blog/category/iridium-next/)

(https://d3i94nm5if678h.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/L5-Patch.png?x90651)

Rising from the ashes to become a force in the industry, undergoing financial and technological transformations and being reborn through the Iridium® NEXT constellation – our fifth launch patch celebrates the Iridium story past, present and future.

Everything on our Iridium-5 patch has a special meaning, and a story to share. Learn more below and keep following the rise of Iridium.
 
(https://d3i94nm5if678h.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Iridium-5-Launch-Patch-Meaning-1.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185973.jpg)Caleb Henry‏ @CHenry_SN (https://twitter.com/CHenry_SN) 11 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/CHenry_SN/status/979732348517445632)

So a @NOAA (https://twitter.com/NOAA) spokesperson said they are looking into SpaceX's claim that NOAA blocked them from webcasting the bulk of today's launch. @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) referred me back to what they said during the webcast. No answers yet.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 24 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979736830085029888)

Final second stage engine burn underway.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 57 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979738100350898178)

Second stage burn 2 complete. First satellite deployed.

45 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979738549254684673)

Second Iridium NEXT satellite deployed.

2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979738893670014976)

Third Iridium NEXT satellite deployed.

2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979739251167281152)

Fourth Iridium NEXT satellite deployed.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979739689899900928)

Fifth Iridium NEXT satellite deployed.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 29 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979740010344628225)

Sixth Iridium NEXT satellite deployed.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 21 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979740423869513728)

Seventh Iridium NEXT satellite deployed.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979740825583206402)

Eighth Iridium NEXT satellite deployed.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 5 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979741375389319168)

Ninth Iridium NEXT satellite deployed.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 24 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979742157580849152)

Successful deployment of all 10 @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) NEXT satellites to low-Earth orbit confirmed.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 7 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979741565903130624)

Spacecraft #10 is away. MISSION SUCCESS! 10 new baby satellites will now undergo post-orbit insertion checkouts and be readied for decades of active service!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/979742170621112322)

Only one thing now remains for this #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) 2nd stage, and that's deorbit.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/979743529080471553)

Successful mission = mission patch. Beautiful launch. Congrats #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) and @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) !
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174770.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185343.jpg)NOAA Communications‏Подлинная учетная запись @NOAAComms (https://twitter.com/NOAAComms) 32 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NOAAComms/status/979738481231650817)

We are looking into questions on the broadcast interruption of this morning's @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) launch of #Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash). We will be in touch when we know more.

ЦитироватьMARCH 30, 2018

IRIDIUM-5 MISSION

On Friday, March 30 at 7:13 a.m. PDT, SpaceX successfully launched the Iridium-5 NEXT mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This was 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. The satellites were deployed about an hour after launch.

Falcon 9's first stage for the Iridium-5 mission previously supported the Iridium-3 mission from SLC-4E in October 2017. SpaceX did not attempt to recover Falcon 9's first stage after launch.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/116407.gif) (http://investor.iridium.com/index.cfm)

Mar 30, 2018

Fifth Successful Iridium® NEXT Launch Completed as Iridium Surpasses 1 Million Subscribers

50 Iridium NEXT Satellites Are Now in Orbit as Iridium Nears Completion of New Global Communications Network

MCLEAN, Va., March 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that at 7:13:51 am PDT (14:13:51 UTC) SpaceX successfully launched the fifth set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. All 10 new satellites have successfully communicated with the Iridium Satellite Network Operations Center and are preparing to begin testing. Shortly before launch, the Iridium network met a major milestone as it surpassed 1 million active subscribers. This continues a trend of significant growth and serves as a testament to the reliable, resilient and uncompromising nature of the Iridium network.

Спойлер

Paving the way for Iridium's growth is the Internet of Things (IoT), where Iridium has established itself as the satellite network of choice to keep "things" connected beyond the limits of cellular coverage. More than half of the subscribers on the Iridium network are IoT devices, delivering a wide variety of solutions by hundreds of licensed technology partners. These devices are designed to do everything from tracking endangered species and monitoring power lines to controlling shipping container temperature levels or serving as tsunami warning systems. Further positioning the company for success is the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation, which is now well more than half way completed. Once fully deployed later in 2018, the constellation will blanket the entire earth with its new capabilities like the Iridium CertusSM L-band broadband service and AireonSM global aircraft surveillance and tracking.

"It's a unique coincidence that we passed the one million subscribers mark right at this launch, and it's particularly exciting because we've surpassed this milestone earlier than we had anticipated," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer at Iridium. "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 and underscore the significant transformation we've undergone as a company over the last 10 years. This truly is a testament to the trust our partners and customers have in our network, which is only going to continue growing as the deployment of the Iridium NEXT constellation nears completion."

To date, Iridium has completed five launches of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, all with SpaceX from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A total of eight Iridium NEXT launches are currently planned with SpaceX delivering a total of 75 new satellites to orbit. In total, 81 satellites are being built, with 66 in the operational constellation, nine serving as on-orbit spares and six as ground spares.

The first stage booster for today's launch was previously flown during Iridium-3 in October 2017, making this the second Iridium NEXT launch to use a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket. Each launch strategically delivers new satellites to specific orbital planes to ensure the earliest possible completion of the constellation. The Iridium network is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 operational, crosslinked satellites, for a total of 66 in the active constellation. The 10 Iridium NEXT satellites launched today were successfully delivered to orbital plane one wh ere they will replace first generation satellites over the next 30 days.

Iridium NEXT is the company's $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. Iridium NEXT will replace the company's existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely on to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more.

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67585.jpg)Eric Berger‏Подлинная учетная запись @SciGuySpace (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/979748665479876609)

So here's the NOAA issue:
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174776.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186373.jpg)Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/979764513233715200)

GPS guided parafoil twisted, so fairing impacted water at high speed. Air wake from fairing messing w parafoil steering. Doing helo drop tests in next few weeks to solve.

Цитироватьtnt22 пишет:
НОРАД выдал набор TLE на 1-й объект запуска

Код Выделить Развернуть

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 43249U 18030A   18089.65957750  .00000028  00000-0  00000+0 0  9993
2 43249  86.6850 104.3315 0016569 238.5525 251.4935 14.83978964    09  

ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:
Это первая (самая левая) плоскость.

Цитировать... Destined for Iridium orbital plane one, all 10 of the Iridium NEXT satellites deployed during this launch will immediately go into service following rigorous testing and validation.

ЦитироватьThe liftoff from Vandenberg, a military base on the Pacific coast northwest of Los Angeles, is timed to place the 10 Iridium Next satellites into Plane 1 of the constellation. The network's 66 active satellites are spread out in six orbital planes, providing uniform coverage worldwide. 

ЦитироватьOne hour to today's instantaneous window for Iridium-5, set for the optimized in-plane launch time to reach Plane 1 of the six-plane Iridium constellation. All ten satellites launching today will enter operational slots within Plane 1, no drifting will be required.

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SUCCESSFUL 5TH LAUNCH OF 10 IRIDIUM® NEXT SATELLITES!

30.03.2018

The Iridium® NEXT Constellation now has 50 communications satellites in orbit

Cannes, March 30th, 2018 - The fifth batch of Iridium NEXT satellites built by Thales Alenia Space has been successfully launched by SpaceX from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
 
Thales Alenia Space, the system prime contractor for the Iridium® NEXT program, is in charge of engineering, integration, and in-orbit validation of all 81 Iridium NEXT satellites, in addition to the definition and validation of the overall system. The satellites are manufactured in production line process by Thales Alenia Space's subcontractor Orbital ATK, at its Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Gilbert, Ariz. under the supervision of a dedicated local Thales Alenia Space team. Launch and Early Operations (LEOP) and In Orbit Tests are performed by Thales Alenia Space from Iridium's Satellite Network Operation Center (SNOC) in Leesburg, Va. The success of this fifth launch for the Iridium NEXT program further solidifies the company's reputation for excelled expertise as prime contractor for sophisticated satellite communications (SATCOM) systems.
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ЦитироватьIridium messaging network gets another boost fr om SpaceX

March 30, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/03/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144184.jpg)
A Falcon 9 rocket climbs away from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on Friday. Credit: SpaceX

Ten more satellites for Iridium's commercial communications network flew into orbit Friday aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, raising the total number of upgraded Iridium spacecraft launched to 50 and clearing the way for liftoff of a SpaceX supply ship Monday from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station.

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:13:51 a.m. PDT (10:13:51 a.m. EDT; 1413:51 GMT) Friday after a smooth countdown. Nine Merlin 1D engines on the Falcon 9's reused first stage booster throttled up to full power, putting out 1.7 million pounds of thrust as the rocket turned southward from the military spaceport on California's Central Coast northwest of Los Angeles.

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After exceeding the speed of sound, the Falcon 9's first stage shut down and jettisoned around two-and-a-half minutes later. The booster dropped away to conduct experimental descent maneuvers, but SpaceX did not try to recover the rocket intact on Friday's mission.

SpaceX is disposing of its reused older-generation rockets — like the one launched Friday — as an uprated Falcon 9 version called "Block 5" is set to debut next month. The Block 5 configuration's first stage is designed more multiple reuses.

The Falcon 9's single Merlin upper stage engine lit two times during Friday's flight, pushing the 10 Iridium satellites toward a circular orbit targeted around 388 miles (625 kilometers) above Earth.

In a secondary objective, SpaceX recovery crews tried to retrieve part of the Falcon 9's payload fairing with a fast-moving vessel in the Pacific Ocean, but the experiment ran into trouble, according to Elon Musk, the company's billionaire founder and CEO.

The fairing recovery boat, named Mr. Steven, is outfitted with a net — or "catcher's mitt" — to catch the shroud as it descends slowly under a steerable parafoil guided by GPS navigation signals. On Friday's flight, SpaceX wanted to get back one half of the fairing, a bulbous nose cone which jettisoned in two segments around three-and-a-half-minutes after liftoff.

The aerodynamic fairing covers the sensitive satellites during final launch preps and the first phase of the flight.

But Musk wrote on Twitter that the fairing's parafoil became twisted, and it hit the Pacific Ocean at high speed.

...

SpaceX wants to eventually recover and reuse payload fairings like it does first stage boosters.

The company's engineers devised a way to capture the fairing after it "falls back from space at about eight times the speed of sound," Musk wrote on Instagram before a similar fairing recovery attempt after a launch in February. "It has onboard thrusters and a guidance system to bring it through the atmosphere intact, then releases a parafoil and our ship, named Mr. Steven, with basically a giant catcher's mitt welded on, tries to catch it."

On the last fairing catch attempt, the shroud splashed down intact a few hundred meters from Mr. Steven. But engineers want to catch the fairing before it hits the ocean to minimize refurbishment from contamination by seawater.

Mr. Steven is currently based at the Port of Los Angeles, so SpaceX's fairing recovery experiments are currently limited to launches from California.

SpaceX ended its live webcast unusually early due to what the company's launch commentator said were restrictions from NOAA on imagery from the Falcon 9's upper stage. During most SpaceX missions, on-board cameras beam back live views of engine burns and deployment events.

NOAA is in charge of regulating remote sensing cameras that view Earth from space, such as sharp-eyed commercial reconnaissance satellites capable of monitoring global military movements, spotting cars and ships, and tracking other activities in high-resolution.

But "rocketcams" like those used on missions by SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and other companies are not so powerful.

SpaceX said NOAA recently asserted that cameras on the second stage, used for engineering purposes, qualify as a "remote sensing space system," placing the cameras within the government's regulatory reach. A provisional license obtained by SpaceX for the launch prohibited the company from airing views from the second stage once on orbit, the company said.

SpaceX does not expect this restriction remain in effect once the company obtains a full license. No such imagery limitations are expected during the next Falcon 9 flight, scheduled for Monday from Cape Canaveral, SpaceX said.

Under NOAA's guidelines, small, hand-held cameras are not supposed to be considered remote sensing space systems, and should be exempt the regulations.

A NOAA spokesperson did not respond to questions on the matter.

On-board cameras made a splash last month during the maiden flight of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. SpaceX's cameras returned spectacular, widely-shared imagery of a spacesuit-wearing dummy Musk nicknamed "Starman" that launched on the Falcon Heavy, riding in the driver's seat of Musk's Tesla sports car.

The video blackout had no impact on the mission, and the Falcon 9's upper stage engine successfully guided the 10 Iridium payloads into orbit, deploying the satellites one-at-a-time around an hour after liftoff.

Iridium officials said all 10 satellites — each with sophisticated L-band and Ka-band radios and antennas, plus aircraft and ship tracking receivers — were healthy following Friday's launch.

The spacecraft will replace 10 aging satellites in Iridium's network, which recently surpassed a million subscribers.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144185.jpg)
Artist's concept of several Iridium Next satellites, with Iridium's Block 1 satellite fleet in the background. Credit: Thales Alenia Space

"It's a unique coincidence that we passed the one million subscribers mark right at this launch, and it's particularly exciting because we've surpassed this milestone earlier than we had anticipated," said Matt Desch, CEO at Iridium. "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 and underscore the significant transformation we've undergone as a company over the last 10 years."

With Friday's mission, the Iridium kicked off the second half of its eight-launch campaign with SpaceX. Four previous missions — in January, June, October and December 2017 — each delivered 10 Iridium Next satellites to orbit.

Iridium ordered 81 new satellites from a Thales Alenia Space/Orbital ATK industrial team to refresh the company's communications fleet, which provides message, data and voice communications worldwide. Iridium's old satellites launched in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and are now functioning well beyond their planned seven-year missions.

The modernized satellites — the centerpiece of a $3 billion upgrade investment — will ensure Iridium's subscribers have uninterrupted telephone service, and they also enable higher-speed applications, such as broadband connectivity for video and data transmissions.

SpaceX is under contract to launch 75 of the satellites. Sixty-six are needed for Iridium's full network, and another nine will serve as spares. The six remaining satellites will remain on the ground for now for a potential launch to replenish the constellation in the future.

"Two-thirds of our satellites are now in orbit and performance is exceeding expectations," said Denis Allard, vice president of constellations for Thales Alenia Space.

Iridium expects the 10 satellites launched Friday to boost themselves into higher orbits around 484 miles (780 kilometers) in altitude in the next few weeks. They will take positions near the old satellites, allowing ground controllers to switch the network to the upgraded spacecraft one-by-one over the next 30 days, Iridium said.

Desch said in an interview before Friday's launch that he was satisfied by the pace of satellite deployments achieved since the campaign began in January 2017.

"It's meeting our needs," Desch said. "We really are focused on completing our Iridium Next constellation this year. I'd like it completed in the third quarter if possible. What I'm really pleased with is that SpaceX has stepped up this year so far.

"Unlike last year, wh ere we might have been waiting for SpaceX, I think this year I'm trying to make sure my suppliers are delivering fast enough to go as quickly as possible," he said.

Iridium says more than half of its 66-satellite network is now populated with Iridium Next satellites.

"If you look at the service, every customer is getting a new satellite about 60 percent of the time, so it's already over half of the time that they're getting service from the new satellites, just by the way that the beams lay down," Desch said.

A new broadband service powered by the Iridium Next satellites, known as Iridium Certus, will begin commercial operations in mid-2018, Desch said. The L-band broadband service will reach users on the land, at sea and in the air, and testing of ground terminals is well underway.

Each Iridium Next satellite also hosts an aircraft tracking transceiver built by Harris Corp. The air traffic monitoring project, led by an Iridium affiliate named Aireon, will become operational once at least 66 Iridium Next spacecraft are in space.

"They are doing a lot of trials and demonstrations with all their customers, but you really can't provide air traffic control services if you don't have 100 percent coverage, so they need all 66 satellites in operation for that," Desch said. "They're expected to turn on their service later this year as the network goes live ... and they'll start providing second-by-second coverage for air traffic controllers."

The 10 spacecraft launched Friday also carry ship tracking antennas for exactEarth, a Canadian company.

Engineers are deactivating Iridium's retiring satellites, built by Lockheed Martin, as the new relay stations arrive in orbit. Most of the old satellites will be maneuvered out of orbit to fall back into Earth's atmosphere, and the others will undergo a procedure known as "passivation," in which their batteries and propellant tanks are drained, rendering them inert.

Iridium flares, a popular phenomena for sky-watchers over the last 20 years, will end when the last of the old satellites is retired. The Lockheed Martin-built Iridium satellites have silver-coated Teflon antennas that behave like mirrors, reflecting sunlight down to Earth just before sunrise and just after sunset.

The flares are predictable — to the second — and the satellite briefly becomes one of the brightest objects in the night sky. Sky-watching apps and websites can provide the times of upcoming Iridium flares anywhere in the world.

The Iridium Next satellites designed by Thales Alenia Space have a different antenna shape that does not produce flares.

"The era is unfortunately coming to an end one of these days," Desch said.

"The most important thing if you're watching flares is that the vehicle be upright and predictable — its momentum wheels are spinning and it's in operation," Desch said. "In other words, it's not tumbling because it's been de-boosted and/or passivated."

"It's a little different for me because it's out network, but I found it to be almost an emotional experience the first time I saw one," he said. "It was almost like signaling to me."

"People love seeing the International Space Station for the same reason, because you know there are people there," he said. "It's hundreds of miles away, and yet you can still it gleaming. I highly encourage people to go out (and see a flare). I think it's really cool — a great party trick for friends and a great way to win a drink at the right time at a bar."

Three more Iridium satellite launches are planned by SpaceX, with the next one in May.

SpaceX's next Falcon 9 launch is set for 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT) Monday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A Dragon cargo craft packed with several tons of supplies and experiments for the International Space Station will ride the Falcon 9 into orbit.

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ЦитироватьFalcon 9 Dispatches 5th Iridium-NEXT Group to Orbit after Morning Launch fr om California
 March 30, 2018 (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-launches-fifth-set-of-iridium-satellites/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152663.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/iridium5liftoff1.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX

A flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 – the eighth of its kind to take flight – leapt of its Pacific-side launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base at sunrise on Friday to loft the fifth set of Iridium-NEXT communications satellites into orbit and take the largest constellation upgrade in history one step closer to the finish line.

Rising into mostly clear morning skies at 14:13 UTC, 7:13 a.m. local time, the 70-meter tall Falcon 9 fired its first stage for two and a half minutes before it was expended via some post-separation testing towards a soft-splashdown in the Pacific while the second stage first boosted into a preliminary orbit ahead of a circularization maneuver to dispatch Iridium-NEXT satellites 41 through 50 to their checkout orbit.

SpaceX's fairing recovery ship, "Mr Steven," was deployed to make its second attempt at catching a Falcon 9 payload fairing half, pegged as the second major component of Falcon 9 to be advanced to an operational re-use stage. A fairing recovery attempt in February saw the fairing half chosen to be caught descend to a gentle water landing a few hundred meters from the net installed on Mr Steven and the hope was for better aim on Friday to prove the efficacy of a sea-based recovery technique.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152660.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/iridium5-launch-3.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Friday's launch was the sixth conducted by SpaceX in 2018, responsible for two thirds of all orbital launches performed from U.S. soil this year. It was the fifth Falcon 9 mission this year, the third employing a flight-proven first stage. Returning from a three-week break after its last mission, SpaceX expects to conduct four orbital launches in as many weeks, shifting focus to the East Coast for three upcoming launches in close succession:

The company's fourteenth operational Dragon (http://spaceflight101.com/dragon-spx14/) mission, the second mission to re-use both the spacecraft and the rocket's first stage, is targeting launch on Monday to begin a two-day link-up with the International Space Station. Next on the Cape Canaveral manifest is NASA's TESS exoplanet hunter (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/), aiming for a one-minute launch window on April 16, and after that will come the debut of SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 on the Bangabandhu-1 mission, currently looking at NET April 24.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152664.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Iridium5Vertical.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX

Friday's launch was the third Falcon 9 in a row that flew its first stage in throw-away mode. Two of these missions expended their first stage by choice while one was forced to forego a Drone Ship landing due to rough seas in the designated landing area.

Opting against recoveries although mission performance would easily permit the stage to be recovered is a strategic move by SpaceX to dispose rockets that are not deemed suitable for more than two missions. Through expending stages that would not fly again anyway, SpaceX is making room for an upcoming flood of Block 5 first stages, ideally expected to be recovered and re-flown dozens of times.

Closed up inside the nose cone of Friday's Falcon 9 were the next ten Iridium-NEXT communications satellites – numbers 41 through 50 in what is the largest satellite constellation upgrade undertaken to date. Since January 2017, SpaceX successfully delivered fifty satellites for the Virginia-based telecommunications provider – taking them to the 2/3 mark as 25 satellites remain to be launched by late summer to complete the replacement of the entire first generation constellation that has been operating since the late 1990s.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152655.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/hr-67501.jpeg)
Image: Thales Alenia

Friday's mission was the fourth Iridium launch in nine months, not far from the original goal of launching one set every two months starting with the second mission. This launch cadence was in large part made possible by Iridium's decision to opt for previously flown Falcon 9 vehicles since the production of new first stages had become the major bottleneck in SpaceX's quest to step up its launch pace.

Financial incentives offered by SpaceX for the initial re-use missions were not a driver for Iridium; it had all been about getting the satellites up on time.

Iridium reviewed their options in 2017 and, based on the success of SpaceX's initial re-flight missions, decided to fly on used hardware in order to keep their schedule. The original contract signed between Iridium and SpaceX had specified all eight missions to ride on new rockets — the same was the case for NASA's Commercial Resupply Services Program which also agreed to the use of flown rockets last year.

With the success of December's mission, Iridium CEO Matt Desch recently Tweeted that Iridium-6 – the shared ride between five Iridiums and two GRACE-FO gravity observatories – would also fly on a proven vehicle.

SpaceX is also feeling a change in the wind as company President Gwynne Shotwell recently noted that 2018 would be the first year that SpaceX will be waiting for their customers to have satellites ready for launch after it had been the other way around for the last five years.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152656.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/hr-67502.jpeg)
Iridium Satellite Assembly – Photo: Thales Alenia

Up to 30 missions are on SpaceX's manifest for 2018, another large step forward after a record-setting 2017 with 18 Falcon 9 missions.

Iridium put all their eggs into one basket when selecting SpaceX back in 2010 for the launch of the entire Iridium-NEXT fleet – at the time the largest commercial launch contract ever awarded with a total value of $492 million for seven Falcon 9 rockets. 81 Iridium-NEXT satellites were ordered from Europe's Thales Alenia and Orbital ATK was sel ected for the integration under an assembly-line architecture at the company's Gilbert, Arizona facility.

An eighth Falcon 9 launch was procured under a shared agreement with the U.S.-German GRACE mission to loft a total of 75 NEXT satellites, enough to fill all 66 constellation slots and pre-position nine spares to go into service at a moment's notice while six more satellites could be stored on the ground to replenish the constellation when needed. All in all, replacing the entire first-generation Iridium constellation came with a price tag in excess of $3 billion – covering satellite manufacture, launch services and ground segment enhancements.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152617.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Iridium-NEXT-4.jpg)
Iridium Constellation – Image: Iridium Communications

Iridium functions by carefully spacing its satellites in six orbital planes in a near-polar orbit to ensure at least one satellite is visible from any location of Earth at any given time. Inter-satellite links and a state-of-the-art ground system then route communications packages from one terminal to a destination point that can be located anywhere on Earth – creating the only true global communications architecture currently in operation.

Iridium operates eleven active satellites in each orbital plane, flying 780 Kilometers in altitude at an inclination of 88° to create pole-to-pole coverage. Nearly one million customers use Iridium's network, ranging from personal satellite phones, over sea-going terminals to Low-Earth Orbit satellites.

Each member of the constellation weighs 860 Kilograms at launch and hosts a powerful communications terminal covering a 4,700-Kilometer footprint on the ground with its L-Band phased array antenna while the cross-link between neighboring satellites is handled through powerful Ka-Band links.

>> Iridium Satellite & Constellation Overview (http://spaceflight101.com/spacecraft/iridium-next/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152666.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/sites/219/2018/03/IridiumNEXTSatConfig.jpg)
Image: Iridium Communications

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152657.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/hr-67503.jpeg)
Photo: Thales Alenia

Services provided by Iridium-NEXT range from telephony over short-burst data delivery all the way to newly introduced high-capacity services with data speeds up to 8 Mbit/s realized via Ka-Band up/downlinks not possible with the heritage constellation.

With the upgrade to the Iridium-NEXT constellation, the company also explores new business areas as the NEXT satellites host terminals to receive Automatic Identification System messages for real-time ship-tracking across the globe and hosted payloads for commercial company Aireon capture ADS-B transmissions from commercial aircraft to offer global air tracking services on the commercial market.

Iridium CEO Matt Desch noted that the company continues on track to finish launching Iridium-NEXT satellites by late summer which should enable all constellation slots to be filled with upgraded satellites by the end of the third quarter. The company is keeping some of the older satellites in standby until the upgraded constellation is finalized and spares are positioned in every plane at which point the last of the remaining first generation satellites will be de-boosted – also putting an end to the well-known Iridium flares that have dazzled observers on the ground for the last two decades.

Gearing up for the Iridium-5 mission, Falcon 9 fired up its first stage at sunrise on March 25th for the customary Static Fire Test that is of additional importance for re-use missions since Falcon 9 boosters do not go through a complete re-acceptance test cycle after refurbishment. With a clean vehicle, teams were proceeding into integration of the payload; however, a faulty ground harness cable forced the mission to move from Thursday to Friday due to the time consumed for troubleshooting.

>> Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle (http://spaceflight101.com/spacerockets/falcon-9-ft/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152662.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/iridium5-launch-8.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Falcon 9 was raised to its vertical position atop Space Launch Complex 4E on Thursday and entered an overnight countdown operation for a detailed set of checkouts before computers were handed control at the T-70-minute mark for propellant loading. A new day dawned upon Vandenberg just as Falcon 9 began its expedited tanking sequence, receiving some 155 metric tons of chilled Rocket Propellant 1 from T-70 minutes and loading up on ~360 metric tons of sub-cooled Liquid Oxygen from T-35 minutes.

Propellants were still flowing into the two-stage rocket when the fast-paced final countdown events got underway at T-7 minutes to condition the nine Merlin 1D engines for ignition, exercise the rocket's fuel valves and actuators one last time, retract the Strongback structure and arm the Autonomous Flight Termination System. The completion of fueling was called out at T-2 minutes and Falcon 9 became fully autonomous when its flight computers assumed control at T-1 minute.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152659.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/iridium5-launch-1.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

The green flash of Falcon's igniter mixture erupted from the engines at T-3 seconds as all nine were commanded to fire-up and throttle to a collective thrust of nearly 700 metric tons for liftoff at precisely 14:13:51 UTC, the optimized launch time for Plane #1 of the Iridium constellation.

Shooting into clear morning skies, Falcon 9 climbed vertically for less than 15 seconds before pitching onto a trajectory taking it due south and out over the Pacific. Falcon 9 consumed 2,500 Kilograms of propellant per second as its engines pushed the vehicle through the speed of sound at T+65 seconds followed around eleven seconds later by Maximum Dynamic Pressure for which the engines were throttled back briefly to reduce stress on the rocket's structure.

The first stage boosted Falcon 9 to a speed of 2.11 Kilometer per second, shutting down its engines two minutes and 33 seconds after launch.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152661.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/iridium5-launch-5.jpg)
Falcon's stages going separate ways – Image: SpaceX Webcast

Four pneumatic pushers sent the two stages of the rocket on their separate ways three seconds later as the vehicle passed 69 Kilometers in altitude. From there, it was up to the MVac-powered second stage to first lift the stack into a preliminary Parking Orbit and then carry out a critical circularization maneuver before sending the ten satellites off into orbit.

The first stage, although eventually headed to a watery grave in the Pacific, was tasked with a series of return maneuvers to use its remaining life for a data-gathering exercise in a bid to study different return profiles to further cut propellant margins for future Falcon 9 recovery missions. Immediately after separation, the 47-meter long booster used its nitrogen thrusters to flip around for a single-engine boostback maneuver. This 18-second partial boost back was designed to lim it the rocket's downrange travel distance – aiming for the northern half of a 325-Kilometer long and 140-Kilometer wide box centered some 565 Kilometers from the launch pad.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152698.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-paz/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/SpaceXMrSteven.jpg)
Mr. Steven – Photo: SpaceX

SpaceX's NRC Quest support ship was dispatched to the northern half of the downrange safety box to observe the splashdown and, more importantly, capture telemetry from the descending vehicle as the atmospheric flight portion was of greatest relevance. Mr Steven, the fairing recovery vessel, was tracked in the southern half of the box, waiting to receive one of the fairing halves.

Stage 1 was expected to conduct a brief Entry Burn around T+7 minutes to lessen the aerodynamic loads experienced upon re-entry. The vehicle's four actuated grid fins were then charged with maneuvering it toward its landing point – setting the appropriate angle of attack and correcting any trajectory errors ahead of a landing burn designed to bring the vehicle to a gentle touchdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Continuing the morning's primary mission, Falcon's second stage fired up its 95,000-Kilogram-force engine two minutes and 45 seconds into the flight, setting its sights on an elliptical transfer orbit.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152658.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-5/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/iridium5fairing.jpg)
Iridium-5 Payload Fairing – Photo: SpaceX

By T+3 minutes and 26 seconds, the vehicle passed 110 Kilometers in altitude and pushed open its two payload fairing halves which then rotated outward and away from the second stage, en-route to another attempt at refining SpaceX's fairing recovery process.

Fairing 2.0 – debuting earlier this year – hosts a number of upgrades to make the fairing easier and cheaper to manufacture while also introducing a series of recovery systems. From an external appearance, the upgraded fairing seems to be slightly larger than its predecessor, growing around 0.1 meter in diameter and length, but what differentiates it from the baseline Falcon fairing resides on the inside and at the fairing base in the form of an upgraded structural interface.

Each fairing half has its own avionics system, pressure vessels holding Nitrogen gas, a manifold of lines transporting propellant to a series of cold gas thrusters and a compartment for an auto-steering parachute.  As the fairings separate from the ascending rocket, they are to employ their thrusters to stabilize from their initial tumble and enter a pre-determined orientation for atmospheric re-entry. The auto-steering chute will then be tasked with guiding each fairing half toward a recovery boat positioned to 'catch' it.

Whether Mr. Steven was successful on its quest on Friday has not been revealed immediately after the day's launch.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152651.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152651.jpg)
Iridium Payload Stack (Iridium-3) – Photo: SpaceX/Iridium

While the fairing slowly descended back to Earth, Falcon's second stage successfully reached orbit – shutting down right at the T+9-minute mark and transitioning to 43 minutes of passive coasting in order to climb to the high point of its elliptical Parking Orbit for the critical circularization burn.

SpaceX ended live coverage of the mission after the initial Parking Orbit insertion, citing a restriction imposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that prevented the company from continuing to broadcasting imagery fr om the second stage's onboard camera. NOAA spokespeople were not aware of a restriction related to the Iridium-5 mission and were looking into the matter.

Crossing Antarctica, the second stage entered a northerly leg, approaching the island of Madagascar when re-lighting its MVac engine at T+52 minutes and five seconds on a brief burn to speed up by 125 meters per second and lift the orbit's perigee altitude. Mission Control confirmed a nominal orbit was achieved and the second stage entered the carefully planned release sequence at T+57 minutes to send one Iridium satellite off into orbit every 110 seconds.

In the hours after launch, the ten new additions to the Iridium constellation will spread their wings by deploying their power-generating solar arrays, complete initial health checks and begin communicating with ground stations to head into commissioning. All ten satellites of the Iridium-5 mission will move into operational slots within the first orbital plane, requiring no lengthy drifting.

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/979820849116086272)

NOAA statement on why #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) was not able to webcast the second stage flight. It makes it seem like second stage video is something new. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) and ULA have been doing that for years without any issues. What changed?

http://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-statement-on-todays-broadcast-of-spacex-iridium-5-launch ... (https://t.co/pAYHgFMjjo)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174780.jpg)

ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:
Оххх, не даются Маску парашюты...  :)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/979871573145464832)

All ten Iridium satellites from today's launch now cataloged in 606 x 627 km orbits. The Falcon 9 second stage probably was deorbited to impact the S Pacific around 1610 UTC

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/979922483775090688)

More photos from today's Falcon 9 launch → http://flickr.com/spacex  (https://t.co/095WHX44BX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174783.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174784.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174785.jpg)

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ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:
Оххх, не даются Маску парашюты.

ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:

Оххх, не даются Маску парашюты...

Цитироватьtnt22 пишет:
NOAA statement on why #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) was not able to webcast the second stage flight.

ЦитироватьGeorgea пишет:

Цитироватьtnt22 пишет:
NOAA statement on why #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) was not able to webcast the second stage flight.

Как же хорошо, что эти мудаки не успели проснуться до пуска Хеви  :evil:

ЦитироватьHrono пишет:

ЦитироватьGeorgea пишет:

Цитироватьtnt22 пишет:
NOAA statement on why #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) was not able to webcast the second stage flight.

Как же хорошо, что эти мудаки не успели проснуться до пуска Хеви  :evil:  

Не можете пояснить в чём состоит проблема?

Цитироватьopinion пишет:

 Также пишут, что это требование не распространяется на запуск Дракона, хотя непонятно почему.

ЦитироватьDiZed пишет:

Цитироватьopinion пишет:

 Также пишут, что это требование не распространяется на запуск Дракона, хотя непонятно почему.

вероятно потому что аппарат принадлежит NASA, которая сответствующей лицензией располагает

Цитироватьopinion пишет:

И ракета и КК принадлежат SpaceX, разве нет?

ЦитироватьSpaceX Falcon 9 Iridium 5 Launch

30th Space Wing/Public Affairs
March 30, 2018 | 0:55

Falcon 9 Iridium-5 successfully launched

Team Vandenberg supported the successful launch of the fifth Iridium mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-4 here Friday, March 30, 2018, at 7:13 a.m. PST.

Цитироватьopinion пишет:
частные компании, которые хотят получать изображения Земли со спутников должны получать лицензию NOAA.

ЦитироватьАтяпа пишет:

Цитироватьopinion пишет:
частные компании, которые хотят получать изображения Земли со спутников должны получать лицензию NOAA.

Не понял. Вроде как они со второй никакой Земли не показывают, только сопло ступени и процесс разделения.
У нас, что ли, это NOAA научилось расширительному толкованию?

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186354.jpg)TESLARATI‏ @Teslarati (https://twitter.com/Teslarati) 9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/Teslarati/status/980261983831257088)

SpaceX returns intact fairing half on clawboat in post-launch surprise - https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-recovers-fairing-half-mr-steven-clawboat-iridium-launch/ ... (https://t.co/185sfUM8fu)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174823.jpg)

ЦитироватьDave Dickinson  (https://twitter.com/Astroguyz)

ЦитироватьThere it is. US JSpOC is now listing that missing 10th @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) satellite from this past week's @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) launch as NORAD ID 43266. Strange how they only post partial TLEs sometimes. :o  :?:

Цитироватьпоц (http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/user/57530/) пишет:
(у этого типа твиты копируются криво, с руками у меня всё в порядке)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186389.jpg)Dave Dickinson ‏ @Astroguyz (https://twitter.com/Astroguyz) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/Astroguyz/status/980551738511036416)

There it is. US JSpOC is now listing that missing 10th @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) satellite from this past week's @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) launch as NORAD ID 43266. Strange how they only post partial TLEs sometimes.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186373.jpg)Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 8 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980647734888681472)

В ответ @Teslarati (https://twitter.com/Teslarati) @13ericralph31 (https://twitter.com/13ericralph31) @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33)

Oh yeah, forgot to mention it actually landed fine, just not on Mr Steven
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174887.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/116407.gif) (http://investor.iridium.com/index.cfm)

Apr 3, 2018

Fifth Set of Iridium® NEXT Satellites Begin Pre-Operational Testing

MCLEAN, Va., April 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications announced today that the fifth set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, launched Friday by SpaceX, are functioning nominally and have begun the testing and validation process. Not only did this fifth launch increase the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 50, but it was also the second Iridium NEXT launch to use a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket.

Спойлер

"Once testing is complete, we will be just 25 Iridium NEXT satellites shy of completing this historic tech refresh. It's inspiring to think about how we're doing this for a second time and no one else has accomplished a feat of this magnitude in Space even once." said Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Iridium. "I'm beyond proud of our team at the Satellite Network Operations Center, which has been operating like a well-oiled machine. Tests and diagnostics began just minutes after the new satellites deployed, and all systems are functioning nominally."

The Iridium constellation is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 operational crosslinked satellites, for a total of 66 satellites in the active constellation. This unique architecture creates a web of coverage around the earth, enabling Iridium to provide real-time communications over the oceans and from even the most remote locations. Three more Iridium NEXT launches are scheduled for 2018, to bring Iridium's total to 75 new satellites in orbit, including nine spares.

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png)Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) сейчас28 минут назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/981231527848808449)


SNOC Report: All 10 #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) satellites from the #Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash) launch are undergoing pre-operational testing. Tests and diagnostics began just minutes after the new satellites deployed last Friday, and all systems are functioning nominally.

Цитироватьhttps://spacepolicyonline.com/news/todays-tidbits-april-3-2018/
...
At a meeting of NOAA's Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing (ACCRES) today, Tahara Dawkins, Director of NOAA's Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs (CRSRA) office explained the situation.
...
Dawkins told SpacePolicyOnline.com in an interview after the meeting that SpaceX told NOAA that it was unaware that licenses were required until contacted by NOAA.  It then applied for a license to broadcast the Iridium NEXT launch, but just four days in advance.  That was not enough time for NOAA to complete all its reviews, hence the requirement that the transmission be terminated before orbit was achieved.  A license was not required for yesterday's cargo launch to the International Space Station because it was a government (NASA) payload, she added.
...

Цитироватьон подал заявку на получение лицензии на трансляцию запуска Iridium NEXT, но всего за четыре дня до этого. Для NOAA не хватило времени для завершения всех своих обзоров, поэтому было требование о прекращении передачи перед достижением орбиты. Она добавила, что лицензия не требовалась для вчерашнего запуска груза на Международную космическую станцию, потому что это была правительственная (НАСА) полезная нагрузка.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png)Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/987402225101213697)

SNOC Report: The first 2 #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) satellites from #Iridium5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium5?src=hash) have been activated and are carrying traffic, with the remaining eight planned for integration in the days ahead. All six orbital planes now have #Iridium (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium?src=hash) NEXT SVs that are providing service! #FridayFeeling (https://twitter.com/hashtag/FridayFeeling?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163050.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 12 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/993564436337176581)

Two more satellite slot swaps today - SV150 took over for SV62, and SV148 took over for SV70. One more activation later this week and Launch #5 activities will be complete - just in time for Launch #6 on May 19th! #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) #greatprogress (https://twitter.com/hashtag/greatprogress?src=hash) #Ishouldusehashtagsmoreoften (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ishouldusehashtagsmoreoften?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163532.jpg)