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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1006930366404415489)

SpaceX opens media accreditation the Falcon 9 Iridium-7 (10x Iridium NEXT satellites) mission from SLC-4E at Vandenberg.

"The launch is targeted for no earlier than July."

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31566.jpg)Brady Kenniston‏ @TheFavoritist (https://twitter.com/TheFavoritist) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/TheFavoritist/status/1007338067957567489)

@IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) Hey Matt, just wondering if you have a potential NET date set for Iridium-7? A few launch photographer friends from the east coast and I are looking at making the trip to photograph the launch! Also any news on a RTLS attempt now that it's flying on Block 5?


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1007339109612912640)

Announcement of L7 date/time imminent. (Hint: shipping first two satellites to VAFB tomorrow...). RTLS unlikely due to our mission profile.


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186288.jpg)Dark Energy‏ @Alejandro_DebH (https://twitter.com/Alejandro_DebH) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/Alejandro_DebH/status/1007343533899091968)

In fact, SpaceX filled the FCC permit for an ASDS landing one month ago, so yeah, ASDS landing this time. But hey, at least we have another Iridium landing again! Yay! Also, I'm sure the new batch of 10 satellites will be happy to float into space and do a lot of good work  ;)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 56 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1007601912605233153)

Didn't notice this at first, but Iridium added a pretty graphic on their media release for the announcement. (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125484.png)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/165244.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/116408.jpg) (http://www.iridium.com/)

June 15, 2018 at 8:01 AM EDT

Iridium-7 Target Launch Date Announced

(http://investor.iridium.com/system/files-encrypted/nasdaq_kms/inline-images/Launch7DateAnnouncement_0.jpg)

MCLEAN, Va. – June 15, 2018 – Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) announced today that the seventh Iridium® NEXT mission has been targeted by SpaceX for launch on July 20, 2018, fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California at approximately 5:12 am PDT (12:12 UTC). An exact instantaneous launch window time will be available closer to the launch date. As the second-to-last launch of the planned Iridium NEXT program, this mission will increase the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 65.

All 10 satellites for this mission will be deployed to Iridium orbital plane number 5 wh ere they will go into operation immediately following a thorough testing and validation process. 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. Once all the satellites from the Iridium-7 mission are operational, plane 5 will be the fourth orbital plane to be comprised entirely of Iridium NEXT satellites. In total, 81 Iridium NEXT satellites are being built, with 66 in the operational constellation, nine serving as on-orbit spares and six serving as ground spares.

Спойлер

Iridium NEXT is the company's $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. Iridium NEXT is replacing the company's first generation 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/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 22 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1007669516246142977)

Now that you have the date and time, you should note that it's about 10 minutes after "first light", but still an hour before sunrise at VAFB. Not sure if it will work out or not, but there is potential for another nice "show" like we had in December for L-4.. #LetsScareLAAgain (https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsScareLAAgain?src=hash)

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/1007650861558980608)

#SaveTheDate (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveTheDate?src=hash) - The #Iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium7?src=hash) launch is targeting July 20th at 5:12 AM PDT (12:12 UTC) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This is the 7th of 8 #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) launches planned with @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX), upgrading our constellation of 66 crosslinked satellites!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 22 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1012429440805167104)

All 10 Iridium NEXT satellites for launch #7 are at VAFB now, and mating to dispenser is well along - to be completed this weekend. Everything else needed is there as well and being processed - schedule looking good!
#Tminus3weeks (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tminus3weeks?src=hash) #donttellVandenbergfogyet (https://twitter.com/hashtag/donttellVandenbergfogyet?src=hash).

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/165801.jpg)

ЦитироватьNZZO
 
B4054/18 - TEMPO DANGER AREA NZD026 (EAST AUCKLAND OCEANIC FIR) IS PRESCRIBED
AS FLW:
ALL THAT AIRSPACE BOUNDED BY A LINE JOINING
30 00 00 S 138 54 00 W
73 06 00 S 138 54 00 W
73 06 00 S 147 18 00 W
30 00 00 S 147 18 00 W
30 00 00 S 138 54 00 W
ACTIVITY: SPACE DEBRIS RETURN
USER AGENCY: FOREIGN SPACE AGENCY
PRESCRIBED PURSUANT TO CIVIL AVIATION RULE PART 71 UNDER A DELEGATED
AUTHORITY ISSUED BY THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION. SFC - FL999, 20 JUL 13:30
2018 UNTIL 20 JUL 14:25 2018. CREATED: 06 JUL 03:02 2018

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1016654014866444288)

Iridium: The Falcon 9 Iridium-7 mission is now targeting July 25, 2018 - with an instantaneous launch window of 4:39:26 am PDT (11:39:26 UTC).

"This updated schedule comes after SpaceX informed Iridium that more time was needed to prepare the rocket for launch."

ЦитироватьChris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 2h2 hours ago (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1016654014866444288)

Iridium: The Falcon 9 Iridium-7 mission is now targeting July 25, 2018 - with an instantaneous launch window of 4:39:26 am PDT (11:39:26 UTC). "This updated schedule comes after SpaceX informed Iridium that more time was needed to prepare the rocket for launch."

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1016656541900996608)

Satellites are all fueled and ready to go. A few days longer to wait will probably just confuse @Marine_layer (https://twitter.com/Marine_layer) anyway. Looking forward to getting these next 10 satellites into orbit (but not looking forward to a 1am wakeup call)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184841.jpg)Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 55 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/1016692680372482048)

#Iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium7?src=hash) Launch Update: Read the full announcement here: http://bit.ly/2NCDmMa  (https://t.co/i5yBWKU61M)
#IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) #DoubleEspressoPlease (https://twitter.com/hashtag/DoubleEspressoPlease?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166263.jpg)

ЦитироватьJuly 10, 2018 at 8:01 AM EDT

Iridium Announces Updated Dates for Iridium-7 Launch and Second-Quarter 2018 Earnings Call

MCLEAN, Va. – July 10, 2018 – Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) announced today an updated launch date for the seventh Iridium® NEXT launch and as a result, a revised date for its second-quarter 2018 earnings call. The Iridium-7 mission is now targeting July 25, 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California with an instantaneous launch window of 4:39:26 am PDT (11:39:26 UTC). This updated schedule comes after SpaceX informed Iridium that more time was needed to prepare the rocket for launch. To accommodate this date shift, the second-quarter 2018 earnings call will take place on July 31, 2018 at 8:30am EDT. To participate in the teleconference, callers can dial 1-412-317-5413 and ask to join the Iridium Communications Inc. conference call. To help ensure the conference call begins in a timely manner, please dial in five minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

In advance of the call on July 31, 2018, Iridium will issue its second-quarter 2018 earnings press release, which will be available at http://www.iridium.com  (http://www.iridium.com/). The conference call will also be simultaneously webcast at http://investor.iridium.com (http://www.investor.iridium.com/). For those unable to participate in the live call, an archived replay of the webcast will be available in the investors relations section of the Company's website approximately one hour following the conclusion of the call.
...

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1017848759722692609)

This is my favorite patch design so far (and I love them all): a white wolf and symbolism about the strength of our partner network "pack", our polar coverage, and more! Get in advance of Iridium Launch-7 in 12 days! Available now at http://iridium.mylogospot.com/  (https://t.co/5RKAM1XlOf).

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166466.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1018516540600152064)

Looking more and more ready for Iridium-7 fairing recovery this month! #mrsteven (https://twitter.com/hashtag/mrsteven?src=hash) #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166663.jpg)

ЦитироватьNTTT
 
A0301/18 - AIRSPACE DEBRIS RE-ENTRY WITHIN AN AREA BOUNDED BY
2743S14718W 2743S13854W
7306S13854W 7306S14718W
TO POINT OF ORIGIN
THIS AREA IS PROHIBITED DURING ACTIVITY. MSL - UNL, 1300-1415, 25 JUL 13:00
2018 UNTIL 28 JUL 14:15 2018. CREATED: 11 JUL 18:37 2018
 
 
NZZO
 
B4164/18 - TEMPO DANGER AREA NZD026 (EAST AUCKLAND OCEANIC FIR) IS PRESCRIBED
AS FLW:
ALL THAT AIRSPACE BOUNDED BY A LINE JOINING
30 00 00 S 138 54 00 W
73 06 00 S 138 54 00 W
73 06 00 S 147 18 00 W
30 00 00 S 147 18 00 W
30 00 00 S 138 54 00 W
ACTIVITY: SPACE DEBRIS RETURN
USER AGENCY: FOREIGN SPACE AGENCY
PRESCRIBED PURSUANT TO CIVIL AVIATION RULE PART 71 UNDER A DELEGATED
AUTHORITY ISSUED BY THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION. SFC - FL999, 25 JUL 13:00
2018 UNTIL 25 JUL 14:00 2018. CREATED: 11 JUL 22:56 2018

ЦитироватьNAVAREA XII 287/2018 (18,21)

EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC.
CALIFORNIA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 251051Z TO 251239Z JUL,
   ALTERNATE 1051Z TO 1239Z DAILY 26 THRU 28 JUL
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   32-36N 120-32W, 32-54N 120-14W,
   32-54N 119-54W, 32-37N 119-41W,
   32-16N 119-32W, 29-28N 118-47W,
   28-47N 119-06W, 28-41N 119-32W,
   28-44N 120-35W, 32-09N 121-00W.
2. CANCEL NAVAREA XII 282/18.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 281339Z JUL 18.

( 200331Z JUL 2018 )

ЦитироватьHYDROLANT 2352/2018 (GEN)  

EASTERN SOUTH ATLANTIC.
SOUTHWESTERN INDIAN OCEAN.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS:
   A. 251334Z TO 251416Z JUL, ALTERNATE
   1334Z TO 1416Z DAILY 26 THRU 28 JUL
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   66-28S 027-29E, 61-38S 028-03E,
   56-31S 027-27E, 50-08S 026-24E,
   48-47S 022-22E, 49-45S 018-01E,
   56-19S 014-29E, 60-39S 011-22E,
   65-04S 009-57E, 68-35S 009-09E,
   68-04S 017-11E, 68-51S 024-51E.
   B. 251315Z TO 251357Z JUL, ALTERNATE
   1315Z TO 1357Z DAILY 26 THRU 28 JUL
   IN AREA BETWEEN
   27-43S 73-06S AND 138-54W 147-18W.
2. CANCEL HYDROLANT 2314/18.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 281516Z JUL 18.

( 200405Z JUL 2018 )

 или (дубль)
 
HYDROPAC 2637/2018 (GEN)

SOUTH PACIFIC.
SOUTHWESTERN INDIAN OCEAN.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS:
   A. 251334Z TO 251416Z JUL, ALTERNATE
   1334Z TO 1416Z DAILY 26 THRU 28 JUL
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   66-28S 027-29E, 61-38S 028-03E,
   56-31S 027-27E, 50-08S 026-24E,
   48-47S 022-22E, 49-45S 018-01E,
   56-19S 014-29E, 60-39S 011-22E,
   65-04S 009-57E, 68-35S 009-09E,
   68-04S 017-11E, 68-51S 024-51E.
   B. 251315Z TO 251357Z JUL, ALTERNATE
   1315Z TO 1357Z DAILY 26 THRU 28 JUL
   IN AREA BETWEEN
   27-43S 73-06S AND 138-54W 147-18W.
2. CANCEL HYDROPAC 2590/18.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 281516Z JUL 18.

( 200423Z JUL 2018 )

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 17 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1020336310475780097)

We should be hearing about Falcon 9 B1048.1 (Block 5) turning up on Pad SLC-4E at Vandenberg for a Static Fire test either today or tomorrow (per the usual flow). Vandy rockets are harder to spot due to its location (and Vandy Fog).

Цитировать(https://scontent-amt2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-1/p80x80/14141726_10155247802079897_1176986817781108090_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=1c17065ffa7a51289b4a9a24ca312aa1&oe=5BD1F958) (https://www.facebook.com/30thSpaceWing/?ref=nf&hc_ref=ART6YmyVkHRRcpBkC02qMn892ZrrKROyYF3KYhP4GXWYI6Yoi5AWeHMPZzf_bqLNfEU) «30th Space Wing (Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.) (https://www.facebook.com/30thSpaceWing/?hc_ref=ARQd8UN9U2l_GnWMmrz9cUg6VbcWQ8SvnhpXXQZ75Ze8JaLwxNYhWGNAhpaWJGIAuPM)»
1 ч (https://www.facebook.com/events/1930649017002359/?ref=3&action_history=null) · 

Team V is scheduled to launch a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Iridium satellites from SLC-4E here on July 25th at 4:39am PDT.

(https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/37533656_10157297883434897_2541483245992673280_o.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=e89f8f26d9558be9d19e42f63f813209&oe=5BDA58F8) (https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/37533656_10157297883434897_2541483245992673280_o.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=e89f8f26d9558be9d19e42f63f813209&oe=5BDA58F8)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1020520790108672000)

Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete— targeting July 25 launch of Iridium-7 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1020797652508655616)

Just Read the Instructions prepping to catch a Block 5 Falcon 9 booster following this week's iridium-7 launch at Vandenberg. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) @Teslarati (https://twitter.com/Teslarati)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166728.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1021187476897984512)

JRTI is back in action! The ASDS is currently departing the Port of LA, as it prepares for the Iridium-7 landing on Wednesday morning. Pacific Freedom is the tug. https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:4249791/zoom:15 ... (https://t.co/vhRInP0rgZ)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166785.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30273.jpg)Raul‏ @Raul74Cz (https://twitter.com/Raul74Cz) 36 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/Raul74Cz/status/1021343999301488640)

#Iridium (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium?src=hash)-7 Launch Hazard Areas. Planned B1048 landing at identical position as Iridium-3 mission. Stage2 Reentry Debris Area on the second orbit. Next reentry area behind Antarctica.
https://goo.gl/JYk1ey  (https://t.co/5vo6yRthAN)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166853.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166854.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/68786.jpg)RUAGSpace‏ @RuagSpace (https://twitter.com/RuagSpace) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/RuagSpace/status/1021354825076936704)

Happy to soon see our Payload Interface Units in space! The launch of 10 #IridiumNext (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNext?src=hash) satellites is scheduled for Wednesday. For our on time delivery of the Payload Interface Units for 81 IridiumNext satellites we have been recently awarded (c) image Iridium/Aireon

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166857.jpg)

ЦитироватьMax Andriyahov пишет:
Маленькое пари на поимку обтекателя? Если ловят половинку - я перечисляю 500 руб. в благотворительность. Если мимо - вы.

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

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

... T-3 weather report was for 40% concerns only about ground winds. Surprising they will still be strong at 4:30am in the morning, but will keep an eye out. Have anything to calm the winds down??

18:09 (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1021200622308286464) - 22 июл. 2018 г.

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

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

Holding the same for T-2 (which is ok). If your music and dancing can just keep it at this level or better, I think we're good...

9:19 (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1021429506370953218) - 23 июл. 2018 г.

ЦитироватьGeorgea пишет:

Это пари на не-поимку обтекателя.
Я тоже думаю, что не поймают. Если вообще эта затея с сетью в итоге приведет к успеху (т.е. эксплуатации) - буду весьма удивлен.

ЦитироватьLaunch Hazard Areas. Planned B1048 landing at identical position as Iridium-3 mission.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1021605036013412352)

Mr. Steven has departed the Port of LA and is on her way to the fairing recovery location. The Iridium-7 mission on July 25th will become the first #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) launch to feature both first stage and fairing recovery attempts. It will also be the first fairing recovery at night.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1021609330603261953)

В ответ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125600.png)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166357.jpg)

Цитироватьна сайте SpaceX

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

или

на ТыТрубе

youtube.com/watch?v=vsDknmK30C0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsDknmK30C0)

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

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

Good news! Your haiku and music is working. Latest weather forecast shows a 90% probability now - the surface winds are improving. Rocket and payload should be ready as well. Let's go!

10:45 (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1021813569803808768) - 24 июл. 2018 г.

ЦитироватьSpaceX will use a parasail guidance system to land Falcon 9's fairing into a huge net

By Eric Ralph (https://www.teslarati.com/author/eric-ralph/)
Posted on July 24, 2018

SpaceX recovery vessel Mr Steven officially departed Port of Los Angeles on the evening of July 23 and is speeding towards its first Falcon 9 fairing recovery attempt since a major series of refits and upgrades. With massive new arms and usable net area increased fourfold, chances are better than they've ever been for the iconic clawboat to at last snag its first true 'catch' of a parasailing payload fairing.

Set to be stationed roughly 900 km (600 mi) southwest of the California coast, Mr Steven's vast new net should dramatically even the playing field, cutting the effective error margin for each fairing catch attempt by as much as 60% on its own. An extra ~30 meters of net both length and width-wise would functionally act as a cushion for the ~50-meter accuracy the fairings have demonstrated thus far (i.e. halves missed Mr Steven's smaller, original net by 50 m).

Still, the question remains for many people: how exactly does Mr Steven 'catch' a clamshell fairing half, and how does that fairing half find its way to Mr Steven?

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/135015.jpg) (https://cdn.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Mr-Steven-ready-for-duty-072218-Pauline-Acalinc.jpg)
SpaceX's fairing catcher Mr Steven prepares to debut his new net and arms to catch a Falcon 9 payload fairing, NET July 25. (Pauline Acalin)

A PARASAIL AND A PRAYER

Спойлер

Each Falcon 9 fairing is a two-piece 1600 kg sandwich of carbon fiber composites and aluminum honeycomb, as well as internal dressings of soundproofing panels, cold nitrogen gas thrusters for attitude control in vacuum, and finally the parafoil and control hardware/avionics necessary to safely recover the fragile halves. Stretching 13m long and 5.2m wide (43ft x 17ft), SpaceX has partially worked with contractors already experts in the art of autonomously guiding parasails with payloads up to 10,000 kg (22,000 lb), and doing so with some level of accuracy.

Ultimately, GPS-guided parafoils have been done successfully many times over in the past two or so decades. For the most part, the problems preventing SpaceX from recovering fairings in Mr Steven's net have been almost entirely solved: the fact that six or more halves have been recovered intact after their Falcon 9 launches confirm that much. SpaceX engineers have somehow found a way to allow a highly flexible, lightweight, and aerodynamically awkward lifting body to survive a journey from heights of 110+ km and speeds of several kilometers per second.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134940.jpg) (https://cdn.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Falcon-fairing-recovery-SpaceX-1-1.jpg)
One half of SpaceX's Iridium-6/GRACE-FO just moments before touchdown on the Pacific Ocean. (SpaceX)

Per the extraordinarily minimalist appearance of each half's parafoil recovery hardware and the lack of any clear control mechanism, it's very likely that SpaceX has sided with an in-canopy (canopy=the parachute) system of actuators tasked with subtly warping the parafoil, comparable in functionality to a crude replica of a bird's wing.

WHEN IN DOUBT, COPY BIRDS

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134899.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-recovers-fairing-half-mr-steven-clawboat-iridium-launch/x-38-parafoil-landing-1999-nasa/)
NASA's X-38 project demonstrated the functionality of autonomous parasail guidance in 1999. (NASA)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134961.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/how-spacex-catches-fairing-mr-steven-net/355073main_ec01-0339-146_full/)
By tweaking, pulling, and tensing or loosening any number of those lines with servo motors and actuators, one can very accurately control the flight characteristics of a parafoil. (NASA)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134956.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/four-fairings-pano-060518-pauline-acalinc/)
From left to right, my best guess for each fairing is PAZ, Iridium-6 Half 1, Iridium-5, and Iridium-6 Half 2. (Pauline Acalin)

Once the massive 800-kilogram components can be captured in flight by Mr. Steven (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-mr-steven-catch-falcon-9-fairing/), it should be a fairly simple prospect for SpaceX to move from recovery to reuse, potentially saving as much as 10% ($6m) of the cost of each Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch in one simple, fell swoop. Perhaps even more importantly, fairing reuse would remove some of the pressure placed on SpaceX's composite production floor, which currently must support the fabrication of dozens of fairing halves, booster interstages, payload adapters, Falcon Heavy nose cones, and much more, including smaller subassemblies required for both Crew and Cargo Dragons.

BFR is gonna need all the composite design and manufacturing expertise it can get.

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1021897736398888961)

Falcon 9 and Iridium-7 went vertical earlier today on the SpaceX launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Weather is 90% favorable for tomorrow's launch at 4:39 a.m. PDT, 11:39 UTC. http://spacex.com/webcast  (https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166396.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1021912724811509761)

FEATURE ARTICLE: SpaceX set for seventh Iridium launch and double recovery -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/07/spacex-seventh-iridium-launch-double-recovery/ ... (https://t.co/P5sUFOrWqD)

- 3,000 word launch preview by William Graham

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166401.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166402.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166403.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166404.jpg)

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 17 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1021910448457707520)

Never change, Vandenberg. There is a rocket not 1,500 feet away.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166399.jpg)

4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1021913797924012032)

That's better. Much higher res versions coming on @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) soon!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166407.jpg)

ЦитироватьSpaceX's fairing-catching boat heads to sea, this time with a bigger net
July 24, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/07/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144711.jpg)
SpaceX's fairing recovery boat, Mr. Steven, will debut a bigger net during Wednesday's launch f a Falcon 9 rocket fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: SpaceX

After several near-misses in tries to catch payload shrouds jettisoned fr om Falcon 9 rockets climbing into space, a high-speed boat tasked with retrieving the fairings for SpaceX to reuse has been upgraded and dispatched into the Pacific Ocean ahead of a launch Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force in California.

The fairing retrieval vessel, named "Mr. Steven," left the Port of Los Angeles late Monday heading for a position in the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles south of Vandenberg, wh ere the two halves of the Falcon 9's payload fairing will fall after launch with 10 Iridium voice and data relay satellites.

The fairing will split open like a clamshell around three minutes after liftoff, set for 4:39:30 a.m. PDT (7:39:30 a.m. EDT; 1139:30 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg, a military facility around 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.

Each half of the fairing carries a guidance system, tiny thrusters, and a parafoil to control its descent back to Earth. Instead of having the fairing components plunge into the sea, as happens with other rockets, SpaceX wants to recover the reuse the fairing, following in the footsteps of the company's accomplishments in recycling the Falcon 9's first stage booster.

Mr. Steven will attempt to maneuver under one of the fairing halves, aiming to catch the composite structure with a net. A little closer to the California coast, another vessel, a drone ship named "Just Read the Instructions," will hold position for landing of the Falcon 9's first stage booster.

It will be the first time SpaceX will use ocean-going vessels to recover both the Falcon 9's first stage and part of the payload fairing on the same mission. If SpaceX can snag both parts of the rocket Wednesday, it will be the first time the company has retrieved part of the fairing with Mr. Steven, and the 26th first stage booster to successfully land intact.

Спойлер

SpaceX has tried to catch fairings before, but none of them have fallen into Mr. Steven's net, which engineers have nicknamed the "catcher's mitt."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144712.jpg)
A before-and-after view of Mr. Steven with the old net and the new, larger net. Credit: SpaceX

The payload fairing protects satellites riding into space aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, keeping the spacecraft pristine and shielding satellites from weather conditions during pre-launch preparations, and aerodynamic forces during the launcher's climb through the dense, lower regions of the atmosphere.

Once in the rarefied, nearly airless environment of space, the Falcon 9 is programmed to jettison the fairing.

So far, SpaceX has only tried to use a boat to catch the fairing during missions launched from Vandenberg, which is used for launches with satellites heading into orbits that fly over Earth's poles. The company is expected to eventually deploy multiple vessels for fairing recoveries after launches from California and Florida.

Payload fairings from Falcon 9 launches from Cape Canaveral have also carried recovery gear, but SpaceX has not yet attempted a retrieval with a net-outfitted boat in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX acknowledged the existence of Mr. Steven earlier this year, and the ship made its first known attempt to catch a fairing shell on a Feb. 22 launch from Vandenberg with the Spanish Paz radar observation satellite and two testbeds for SpaceX's planned broadband Internet network.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144612.jpg)
Part of the payload fairing from a May 22 launch of a Falcon 9 rocket floats in Pacific Ocean. Credit: SpaceX

During SpaceX's last launch from Vandenberg on May 22, Mr. Steven came within about 50 meters, or 160 feet, of catching one half of the Falcon 9's payload fairing, the company said on Twitter.

The new net on Mr. Steven is four times the size of the previous one.

"Catching rocket fairings falling from space has proven tricky, so we made the net really big," SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk wrote in a Twitter post earlier this month.

Ultimately, the fairing reuse initiative should substantially cut launch costs, according Musk.

With the latest upgrades introduced in the Falcon 9 rocket's "Block 5" version, the Falcon 9's fairing is "designed for full recoverability," Musk told reporters in a May 10 conference call.

But engineers want to retrieve the fairing with a ship, rather than allowing the shroud to fall into the sea, wh ere salt water can damage or contaminate sensitive parts.

"In future flights, we're confident that fairing reuse will be effective, which is a big deal because each one of those fairings cost about $6 million to build, and it represents a significant percentage of the airframe of the rocket," Musk said.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144701.jpg)
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was raised vertical Tuesday at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in advance of liftoff early Wednesday. It will be the first Falcon 9 Block 5 model to take off from California. Credit: SpaceX

The satellites riding Wednesday's Falcon 9 launch will push Iridium's new-generation "Iridium Next" voice and data relay constellation to near completion.

The Falcon 9 rocket completed a hold-down engine firing at its Vandenberg launch pad Saturday, and ground crews rolled the launcher back into its hangar for attachment of the 10 Iridium Next satellites and their custom-designed multi-payload dispenser.

The fully-assembled rocket was raised vertical at SLC-4E on Tuesday, and the launch team plans to arrive on station in their control center overnight, as the countdown ticks toward a predawn liftoff at 4:39 a.m. local time.

The launcher set for blastoff Wednesday will be the third Falcon 9 rocket to feature an upgraded Block 5 first stage booster, the latest version of SpaceX's workhouse launch vehicle, and the first Block 5 mission from California.

Wednesday's mission will come a little more than three days after the most recent Falcon 9 mission, also a Block 5 flight, from Cape Canaveral. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida's Space Coast early Sunday with the Telstar 19 VANTAGE communications satellite, a powerful broadband station heading for a perch in geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator.

Built by Thales Alenia Space and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems — formerly Orbital ATK — the Iridium relay satellites fly in lower orbits, and the Falcon 9 rocket will head south from California's Central Coast into a polar orbit.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144690.jpg)
Artist's concept of an Iridium Next satellite. Credit: Iridium/Thales Alenia Space

The flight plan calls for shutdown of the Falcon 9's second stage engine at T+plus 8 minutes, 33 seconds, followed by a 43-minute coast phase before restart of the Merlin upper stage powerplant for a nine-second burn starting at T+plus 51 minutes, 33 seconds.

Then the 10 Iridium Next satellites, which each weigh around 1,896 pounds (860 kilograms), will deploy from the upper stage at intervals of every 90 seconds. All 10 spacecraft should be separated from the rocket by T+plus 71 minutes, 38 seconds, according to a mission timeline released by SpaceX.

Wednesday's flight is the seventh SpaceX launch to carry up Iridium Next payloads, which typically ride 10 at a time on the top of Falcon 9 rockets. The most recent Iridium satellite launch in May carried five of the company's spacecraft, with the rest of the rocket's capacity going toward a pair of U.S.-German climate research probes in a rideshare mission.

Ten more Iridium Next satellites are scheduled to launch later this year, bringing the total number of new-generation craft launched to 75. Six additional spacecraft are under construction by Northrop Grumman and Thales Alenia Space at a factory in Arizona to be held in reserve as ground spares.

The Iridium Next satellites provide improved global telephone and messaging services for the company's one million subscribers, replacing an aging fleet of spacecraft launched in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1021934145356742656)

Hello, Block 5 Falcon 9! #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium7?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166397.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31566.jpg)Brady Kenniston‏ @TheFavoritist (https://twitter.com/TheFavoritist) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/TheFavoritist/status/1021934185252962304)

This pad at Vandenberg is ridiculous. Just a phone photo for now but (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125483.png) I've now seen the first Block 5 Falcon 9 on each of SpaceX's 3 launch pads.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166398.jpg)

3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/TheFavoritist/status/1021945571777470464)

Remotes have been set for @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm)'s Iridium 7 launch! The difference in scenery from Florida is substantial!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166409.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166408.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166410.jpg)

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьLive coverage: Falcon 9 rocket on track for launch from California
July 25, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/07/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

07/25/2018 06:32 Stephen Clark

A shortened Falcon 9 countdown is now the norm with the introduction of SpaceX's upgraded "Block 5" version of the launch vehicle.

Спойлер

After power-up and initial checkouts of the Falcon 9 rocket at Space Launch Complex 4-East, SpaceX's launch conductor will electronically poll the launch team at T-minus 38 minutes -- 4:01 a.m. PDT (7:01 a.m. EDT; 1101 GMT) -- for a "go" to proceed into the automated countdown sequence.

Assuming all systems are go, refined, super-chilled RP-1 kerosene will begin flowing into both stages of the Falcon 9 rocket three minutes later at T-minus 35 minutes -- 4:04 a.m. PDT (7:04 a.m. EDT; 1104 GMT).

At the same time, cryogenic liquid oxygen will begin pumping int the Falcon 9's first stage. Liquid oxygen loading into the second stage will commence at T-minus 16 minutes.

At around the same time, the 10 Iridium Next satellites will be switched to internal battery power and configured for liftoff.

Chill down of the first stage's nine Merlin 1D engines will begin at T-minus 7 minutes, followed by the alignment of the Falcon 9's guidance system and retraction of the launch pad's strongback structure a few degrees from the vehicle in preparation for engine ignition.

In the final couple of minutes of the countdown, the Falcon 9 will switch to internal power and its propellant tanks will be pressurized, prior to the command to ignite its nine main engines at T-minus 3 seconds.

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1022028815130939394)

Three remotes set up. Such an exciting launch ahead! Another batch of Iridium satellites heading to low earth orbit, TWO recovery attempts (booster and fairing) and I finally get to experience the majestic Block 5 F9. (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125510.png)
#spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) #iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/iridium7?src=hash) @Teslarati (https://twitter.com/Teslarati) @MiopsTrigger (https://twitter.com/MiopsTrigger)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166412.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166413.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1022071246509359105)

T-50mins and COUNTING. At this time, all remains on track for the start of fueling at T-35mins.
#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #Iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium7?src=hash) #Block5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Block5?src=hash)

Цитировать07/25/2018 13:45 Stephen Clark

The area around the launch pad and the Falcon 9's flight path is reported clear.

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/1022073912018923520)

Vandenberg Range is GREEN and "GO" for launch.
#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #Iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium7?src=hash) #Block5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Block5?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 52 с. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1022074531203018752)

Fueling poll complete. All stations ready to proceed into fueling.

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/1022075841168080897)

The Falcon 9 1st stage is being loaded with RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) and LOX (liquid oxygen) and the 2nd stage is being loading with RP-1.

ЦитироватьSpaceX@SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX)

@SpaceX

Despite challenging weather conditions, Falcon 9 first stage booster landed on Just Read the Instructions.

11:57 - 25 июл. 2018 г.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 59 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1022096891612413953)

Mr. Steven didn't catch the fairing. Saw it coming down, but the wind shear was too much.

Цитироватьtnt22 пишет:
Есть посадка

Цитировать07/25/2018 16:19 Stephen Clark

Iridium CEO Matt Desch reports all 10 satellites have checked in with their ground stations, confirming they're alive in orbit following today's launch.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184861.jpg)Roger Craig Smith‏Подлинная учетная запись @RogerCraigSmith (https://twitter.com/RogerCraigSmith) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/RogerCraigSmith/status/1022103611541614594)

Here's this morning's @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #RocketLaunch (https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocketLaunch?src=hash) from #VandenbergAFB (https://twitter.com/hashtag/VandenbergAFB?src=hash)!(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125513.png)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125535.png) A stack of 5 2-min exposures to create the streak. The short streak going to the right is #Mars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars?src=hash)! Always a treat to see, even from over 100 miles away in #BearValleySprings (https://twitter.com/hashtag/BearValleySprings?src=hash), CA. @CanonUSAimaging (https://twitter.com/CanonUSAimaging) #6DmkII (https://twitter.com/hashtag/6DmkII?src=hash).

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166415.jpg)

ЦитироватьLaunch & Landing of Falcon 9 with Iridium NEXT 56-65 from Vandenberg AFB

Space Videos (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdF5d0UwSJJunRcRVzP1uDg)

Опубликовано: 25 июл. 2018 г.

ЦитироватьIridium-7 satellites deployment

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

Опубликовано: 25 июл. 2018 г.

ЦитироватьIridium-7 NEXT Mission

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

Трансляция началась 3 часа назад

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет:

спасибо, а то после посадки при прокрутке только операции на орбите находились

ЦитироватьJULY 25, 2018

IRIDIUM-7 NEXT MISSION

On Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at 4:39 a.m. PDT, SpaceX successfully launched ten Iridium NEXT satellites from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This was the seventh set of satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium's next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT. The satellites began deployment about an hour after launch.

Following stage separation, SpaceX successfully landed Falcon 9's first stage on the "Just the Read the Instructions" droneship in the Pacific Ocean.
...

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1022127091339255808)

In honor of @Marinelayer (https://twitter.com/Marinelayer), achievement unlocked (against the fog).
#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #Iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium7?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166445.jpg)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 14 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1022126931087507456)

Another patch unlocked!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166444.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184841.jpg)Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 47 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/1022118296521527300)

#Iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium7?src=hash) Update: We have confirmed telemetry for 10 satellites!
#IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 17 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1022132082309390336)

#Vandenberg (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vandenberg?src=hash). Post launch.
#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166446.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166447.jpg)

ЦитироватьJuly 25, 2018 at 9:11 AM EDT

Iridium Completes Seventh Successful Iridium® NEXT Launch

One launch remains for Iridium to finish its historic constellation refresh

MCLEAN, Va., July 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) announced today that at 04:39:30 am PDT (11:39:30 UTC) a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to low earth orbit (LEO). Lifting off fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, this was the seventh of eight launches planned for the Iridium NEXT constellation, replacing the company's existing 66 satellite network. Only one more launch of 10 satellites remains until the Iridium NEXT network is completed, ushering in a new era of capabilities, like the Iridium CertusSM broadband service and AireonSM real-time aircraft surveillance system.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/150106.jpg)

Completion of Iridium NEXT will spark both a technological and financial transformation for the company, while providing its partner ecosystem with an unrivaled industry platform for innovation. The Iridium partner ecosystem, consisting of hundreds of companies, plays an invaluable role in the creation, distribution and servicing of Iridium equipment, airtime and applications. Among the new services, Iridium Certus will provide the fastest L-band broadband service globally, turbocharging Iridium satellite connectivity using smaller and more cost-effective terminals. Five industry-leading companies have been sel ected by Iridium as Value Added Manufacturers for Iridium Certus, including Thales, Cobham, Rockwell Collins, L3 Communications and most recently, Gogo. This group of companies has been joined by more than twenty Iridium Certus service providers who will be providing the service for maritime, aviation, Internet of Things, land-mobile and government-related industries.

"This historic constellation refresh is one launch away fr om completion," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer at Iridium. "We know our partners are just as excited about the new network being finished as we are, and how that will bring the full power of the Iridium NEXT constellation to life. We've come a long way, and we are particularly excited to see the financial transformation enabled by the completion of the Iridium NEXT system and the associated drop in capital expenditures."

The 10 Iridium NEXT satellites launched as part of the seventh mission were delivered to orbital plane number five, wh ere they will go in to operation immediately following testing and validation. The Iridium network is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 crosslinked satellites for a total of 66 in the operational constellation. Upon activation of all 10 new satellites, orbital plane five will become the fourth Iridium orbital plane to be comprised exclusively of Iridium NEXT satellites. In total, 81 satellites are being built with 75 planned for launch. Nine of the satellites launched will serve as on-orbit spares, and the remaining six will be ground spares.
...

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьSpaceX's second launch in three days lofts 10 more Iridium satellites
July 25, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/07/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144700.jpg)
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket fires into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: SpaceX

Firing through a veil of fog blanketing California's Central Coast, a Falcon 9 launcher climbed into orbit Wednesday with 10 more satellites for Iridium's voice and data relay constellation, pushing the upgraded network closer to completion as SpaceX accomplished another landing of the rocket's first stage booster.

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) launcher lit its nine Merlin main engines after a problem-free countdown and lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 4:39:30 a.m. PDT (7:39:30 a.m. EDT; 1139:30 GMT).

Спойлер

Riding 1.7 million pounds of thrust, the slender, two-stage launcher turned southward from Vandenberg, piercing a low-altitude marine layer hugging the coastline before exceeding the speed of sound about a minute after liftoff.

The first stage's main engines shut down around two-and-a-half minutes into the flight, and thrusters fed by high-pressure nitrogen gas pulsed to flip the booster around as a subset of the rocket's nine main engines ignited for a pair of boost-back and entry burns to guide the vehicle toward SpaceX's drone ship nearly 150 miles (235 kilometers) downrange from Vandenberg in the Pacific Ocean.

The center engine on the first stage slowed the booster down for landing, as four legs extended moments before touchdown on SpaceX's rocket recovery vessel named "Just Read the Instructions."

SpaceX confirmed a successful landing — the 27th time the company has recovered one of its Falcon rocket boosters following a satellite launch.

John Insprucker, SpaceX's principal investigation engineer, said a nearby boat designed to catch half of the Falcon 9's payload fairing was unable to recover the shroud due to rough seas and unfavorable winds.

"The recovery ship did confirm that we had bad weather out in the Pacific with that wind shear," Insprucker said on SpaceX's webcast of the mission. "They did see the payload fairing coming down, but they were not able to catch it in the net. We will continue to attempt that in the future as we learn how to bring fairings back, and then reuse them."

In a bid to reduce launch costs, SpaceX aims to eventually recover and reuse the payload fairing, which shields satellite against weather and aerodynamic forces in flight. The fairing comes off the rocket in two pieces like a clamshell, and both parts carry guidance systems, tiny cold gas thrusters and parafoils to steer them back to Earth from space.

The fairing recovery vessel, named Mr. Steven, was outfitted with a larger net for Wednesday's mission after attempts to catch the shroud earlier this year turned up empty.

But the fairing recovery attempt was purely an experimental objective on Wednesday's flight, and the Falcon 9's upper stage engine continued into orbit with the 10 Iridium communications satellites fastened to a specially-designed multi-payload dispenser.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144698.jpg)
The Falcon 9's first stage pictured on the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" following Wednesday's launch. Credit: SpaceX

Two firings of the Falcon 9 second stage placed the satellites in an on-target orbit roughly 388 miles (625 kilometers) above Earth. The upper stage released each of the 1,896-pound (860-kilogram) satellites one-by-one over a 15-minute deployment sequence, with the final Iridium spacecraft deployment concluding nearly 72 minutes after liftoff.

Live video beamed back to Earth from the rocket through ground stations showed some of the satellites flying away from the upper stage as the Falcon 9 sailed over Africa and the Middle East.

Matt Desch, Iridium's chief executive officer, said all 10 satellites — built by Thales Alenia Space and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems — checked in with their ground stations shortly after arriving in orbit. The signal acquisition confirmed all 10 spacecraft were alive following their fiery trip into space.

With Wednesday's mission, SpaceX has delivered 65 satellites to orbit for Iridium on seven launches since January 2017. Iridium has one more mission booked with SpaceX for another liftoff later this year from Vandenberg with 10 more spacecraft on-board.

"This historic constellation refresh is one launch away from completion," Desch said in a statement. "We know our partners are just as excited about the new network being finished as we are, and how that will bring the full power of the Iridium Next constellation to life.

"We've come a long way, and we are particularly excited to see the financial transformation enabled by the completion of the Iridium Next system and the associated drop in capital expenditures," Desch said.

The Iridium Next network will replace the company's aging fleet of communications satellites, which provide global coverage for phone calls, messaging, asset tracking and data relays.

Iridium's first-generation Block 1 satellites, built by Lockheed Martin, launched in the late 1990s and early 2000s and were designed for seven-year missions. Nearly all the Block 1 spacecraft outlived their design lives, and the upgraded Iridium Next satellites are built to last at least 15 years.

The $3 billion Iridium Next network will offer faster L-band broadband connections, improved functionality and 3G-equivalent cellular phone services for Iridium's pool of roughly one million subscribers, a client list that includes the U.S. military, oil and gas companies, aviation and maritime operators, and mining and construction contractors.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144699.jpg)
One of the 10 Iridium Next satellites flies away from the Falcon 9 rocket in orbit. Credit: SpaceX

The satellites launched Wednesday will join Plane 5 of the Iridium constellation, which includes 66 active spacecraft spread among six orbital planes, enabling worldwide coverage. The network works with the help of inter-satellite Ka-band radio links, allowing communications traffic to travel around the globe from spacecraft-to-spacecraft without the need to pass through a ground station.

Each spacecraft will boost itself into a higher orbit at an altitude of 476 miles (780 kilometers), maneuvering alongside a Block 1 satellite before ground controllers at Iridium's operations center in Leesburg, Virginia, switch the relay links from the old spacecraft to the new one.

The procedure, called a slot swap, is the point at which an Iridium Next satellite joins the network.

Desch said Wednesday that more than 80 percent of traffic on the Iridium network currently goes through one of the company's new-generation satellites. That figure will rise to more than 90 percent in the next six weeks, when the spacecraft on Wednesday's launch become operational, he said.

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.

Aireon said in a press release Wednesday that the airplane-tracking system will go live later this year, with the service initially becoming available to air traffic controllers in Canada. The Aireon system is designed to provide global aircraft tracking services, replacing ground-based radars that do not cover the oceans and other parts of the world.

Operational trials using Aireon's service over the busy North Atlantic flight corridor will begin next year. In addition to Canada's air traffic control organization, air traffic authorities in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Italy and parts of Africa plan to use Aireon. The Federal Aviation Administration is testing the Aireon service for potential incorporation of the system's satellite-based tracking capability in U.S. airspace.

"We're getting closer to the finish line," said Don Thoma, CEO of Aireon, in a statement. "Perhaps most exciting though is that the system has been functioning beyond expectation, resulting in even greater coverage redundancy than initially planned. We're seeing double coverage, and in many cases triple redundancy from our payloads before the constellation is even completed. With this seventh successful launch completed, we're now preparing to begin a new era for the aviation industry."

Most of the Iridium Next satellites also carry ship tracking antennas for exactEarth, a Canadian company.

Iridium reserved its launches with SpaceX in 2010 with a contract officials said at the time was valued at nearly $500 million, then the most lucrative commercial launch agreement ever signed. The first version of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, now long-retired, had only achieved one test flight when Iridium secured launches with the company.

In a tweet following Wednesday's launch, Desch said SpaceX's launch prices in 2010 were less than half those of the other bidders considered by Iridium officials.

"Thanks for taking a chance on SpaceX so many years ago! Looking forward to using the new Iridium constellation," SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk tweeted in reply to Desch.

Iridium ordered 81 satellites from Thales Alenia Space and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, formerly known as Orbital ATK. Six of the spacecraft have been designated ground spares and could be launched at a later time.

Wednesday's launch was the third mission using a first stage based on SpaceX's improved "Block 5" version of the Falcon 9 rocket. It was the second Falcon 9 launch in a little more than three days, coming after a liftoff early Sunday from Cape Canaveral with the Telstar 19 VANTAGE communications satellite.

Next up on SpaceX's launch schedule is another mission from Florida set for no earlier than Aug. 4 with the Merah Putih communications satellite for Telkom Indonesia. The launch window Aug. 4 opens at 1:19 a.m. EDT (0519 GMT).

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Цитировать

IRIDIUM NEXT: A CONSTELLATION OF 66 OPERATIONAL SATELLITES THAT WILL MAKE HISTORY

07/25/2018

65 communication satellites in orbit for the Iridium NEXT Constellation

Successful 7th launch of 10 new Iridium NEXT satellites!

Cannes, July 25th, 2018 - The seventh batch of Iridium NEXT satellites built by Thales Alenia Space (JV Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%) has been successfully launched by SpaceX from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The success of this seventh launch for the Iridium NEXT program further solidifies the company's reputation for excelled expertise as prime contractor for sophisticated satellite communications (SATCOM) systems.

Спойлер

Цитировать"Iridium is replacing its existing constellation of 66 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites by sending 75 Iridium NEXT satellites into space, including spares. 65 Iridium NEXT satellites are now in orbit. Overall System Acceptance has been confirmed by Iridium. The last launch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites is nearing now. I am very pleased to confirm that everything is on track to meet Thales Alenia Space's objective, namely to launch all 75 Iridium NEXT LEO satellites in 2018," declared Denis Allard, Iridium NEXT Vice President for Thales Alenia Space.

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, comprising 66 operational satellites, the remaining 15 satellites will serve as in-orbit and ground spares. The satellites are manufactured in a production line process by Thales Alenia Space's subcontractor Northrop Grumman Corporation (formerly known as Orbital ATK), at its Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Gilbert, Ariz. under the supervision of a dedicated local Thales Alenia Space and Iridium team. Launch and Early Operations (LEOP) and In Orbit Tests are performed by Thales Alenia Space in coordination with Iridium, from Iridium's Satellite Network Operation Center (SNOC) in Leesburg, Va.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/218950.jpg)

Each Iridium NEXT satellite is equipped with star tracker sensors provided by Leonardo to guarantee attitude determination and control.

The Iridium NEXT constellation will offer global connectivity thanks to 66 interconnected satellites at an altitude of 780 km, along with nine spares in parking orbits and six more spare satellites on the ground. This global network provides unrivaled capabilities for communications on the move (individuals, land vehicles, aircraft and ships), and ensures fully global coverage, including the poles and over the ocean.

Thanks to its global coverage and independent operation, not requiring any ground infrastructure, Iridium's network provides vital assistance under very challenging conditions, such as in isolated areas, during natural disasters or during conflicts, to name a few. Its independence from local ground infrastructure delivers secure communications, including protection against intrusion and hacking.

Copyrights: © Thales Alenia Space/Master Image Programmes

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 12 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1022266189425197058)

Iridium-7 patches!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166748.jpg)

ЦитироватьSpaceX nails second Falcon 9 landing in 48 hours, fairing catch foiled by weather

By Eric Ralph (https://www.teslarati.com/author/eric-ralph/)
Posted on July 25, 2018

Just a handful of days after SpaceX's second-ever successful launch and landing of their upgraded Falcon 9 Block 5, the company has completed the same feat on the opposite side of the United States, debuting the Block 5 rocket with a launch and booster recovery from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB).

Спойлер

The booster in question, Falcon 9 B1048, is the third Block 5 booster to roll off of SpaceX's Hawthorne, CA assembly line and is now the first Block 5 rocket to launch from the company's California launch facilities. On the opposite coast, SpaceX's second Block 5 Falcon 9 booster (B1047) completed its own successful launch and landing, lofting the heaviest commercial satellite to ever reach orbit (Telstar 19V).

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/135003.jpg) (https://cdn.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Iridium-7-B1048-vertical-2-Pauline-Acalin-3c.jpg)
While weather during camera setup was absolutely spectacular, the predawn launch window meant that no sun was available to force the ever-present VAFB fog back over the ocean. (Pauline Acalin)

SEVEN MONTHS, FOURTEEN LAUNCHES

Today's near-flawless predawn mission saw Falcon 9 place 10 Iridium NEXT satellites in a polar Earth orbit, during which the rocket's Block 5 booster completed the first landing on Just Read The Instructions in nearly ten months and Mr Steven made his first attempt at catching a parasailing Falcon fairing with his massive net and arms upgrades. Those upgrades, tracked tirelessly by Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin for the better part of July, took barely a month to go from a clean slate (old arms and net fully uninstalled (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-mr-steven-arm-upgrade-complete-quadruple-size-net/)) to operational, fairing-catching status, an ode to the incredible pace at which SpaceX moves.

Sadly, the vessel's Iridium-7 fairing catch attempt was sullied from the start by inclement weather – primarily wind shear – that significantly hampered the accuracy of each fairing halve's parafoil guidance, meaning that Mr Steven's crew did see the parasailing halves touch down, but too far away to catch them in Mr Steven's large net. Falcon 9 B1048 had its own difficulties thanks to what engineer and webcast host John Insprucker described as "the worst weather [SpaceX] has ever had" for a Falcon booster landing. Nevertheless, Falcon 9 appeared to stick an off-center but plenty accurate landing aboard drone ship JRTI, although SpaceX technicians are likely going to wish they had the same robotic stage securer located aboard OCISLY on the opposite coast.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134995.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-landing-iridium-fairing-catch/iridium-7-b1048-launch-spacex/)
Just a hint of fog at liftoff. (SpaceX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134994.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-landing-iridium-fairing-catch/iridium-7-b1048-launch-spacex-2/)
Onboard cameras thankfully came in clutch, providing an absolutely extraordinary view of most phases of launch. (SpaceX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134996.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-landing-iridium-fairing-catch/iridium-7-b1048-launch-spacex-3/)
After MECO and S2 ignition, there were some ethereal plume interaction effects caught on Falcon 9's onboard cameras. (SpaceX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134998.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-landing-iridium-fairing-catch/iridium-7-b1048-launch-spacex-5/)
Also Earth's limb from inside B1048's interstage. (SpaceX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134997.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-landing-iridium-fairing-catch/iridium-7-b1048-launch-spacex-4/)
And more unbelievable plume interaction... (SpaceX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134999.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-landing-iridium-fairing-catch/iridium-7-b1048-recovery-spacex-1/)
And finally, a successful Block 5 booster landing on the West Coast! (SpaceX)

Just Read The Instructions, on the other hand, was similarly tracked but primarily to verify that nothing was happening – the vessel's last operational trip to the Pacific Ocean dates back to the first half of October 2017. Since then, SpaceX began a process of intentionally expending Falcon 9 boosters that had already flown once before, choosing to essentially start from scratch with a fresh fleet of highly reliable and reusable (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-successful-block-5-bangabandhu-launch-landing/) Falcon 9 Block 5 boosters rather than recover older versions of the rocket and attempt to refurbish them beyond the scope of their designed lifespans.

The Block 5 design, however, has taken the countless lessons-learned from flying and reflying previous versions of Falcon 9 and rolled them all into one (relatively) final iteration of the ever-changing rocket. With any luck and at least a little more iteration, Falcon 9 Block 5 boosters should be capable of launching anywhere from 10 to 100 times (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-hundreds-launches-30-rocket-fleet/), 10 times with minimal or no refurbishment (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-15m-florida-falcon-refurbishment/) and 100 times with more regular maintenance, much like high-performance jet aircraft do today.

With three successful launches of new Block 5 boosters now under the new version's belt, it's safe to say that the rocket is off to an extremely good start. The most important milestones to watch for over the next several weeks and months will be the first reflight of a recovered Block 5 rocket, the first reuse of a Falcon 9 payload fairing, and then the first third/fourth/fifth/etc. reuse of Block 5 booster. On the horizon, of course, is SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's challenge to launch a Falcon 9 Block 5 booster two times in less than 24 hours (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-hundreds-launches-30-rocket-fleet/), and do so before the end of 2019.
...

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ЦитироватьSpaceX не удалось осуществить захват сброшенного обтекателя ракеты Falcon 9

Космос (http://tass.ru/kosmos) | 25 июля, 19:52 UTC+3

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 25 июля. /ТАСС/. Специалисты компании SpaceX не смогли осуществить в среду захват обтекателя, сброшенного при старте ракеты-носителя Falcon 9. Как сообщил интернет-портал Space.com, помимо вывода на орбиту 10 спутников связи Iridium NEXT, специалисты компании планировали выполнить еще две задачи: осуществить управляемый спуск на автоматическую платформу в Тихом океане отработавшей первой ступени ракеты-носителя, а также попытаться осуществить захват сброшенного ракетой обтекателя.

"Погодные условия - наихудшие из всех, которые были при попытке посадить первую ступень на автоматическую платформу", - привел интернет-портал Space.com слова представителя компании Джона Инспракера. Тем не менее ступень, оснащенная четырьмя раскладывающимися посадочными опорами для мягкого приземления, опустилась на автоматическую платформу Just Read the Instructions. В то же время специально оборудованное судно Mr.Steven, снабженное огромной сетью, не смогло осуществить захват сброшенного обтекателя. "Они видели падение обтекателя. но не могли захватить его сетью", - пояснил представитель компании.

Ракета-носитель Falcon 9 стартовала в среду в 14:39 мск с пусковой площадки на авиабазе Ванденберг в штате Калифорния. Это был седьмой запуск в рамках программы, предусматривающей доставку на орбиту в общей сложности 75 телекоммуникационных аппаратов международного оператора мобильной связи Iridium Communications. Последний, восьмой запуск по этой программе намечен на конец нынешнего года.
...

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186323.jpg)Cowboy Dan‏ @CowboyDanPaasch (https://twitter.com/CowboyDanPaasch) 8 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/CowboyDanPaasch/status/1022366423518208000)

Whatever rough seas this morn's successful #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) rocket booster landing in the Pacific has incurred, #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) tugboat, Pacific Freedom, with droneship JRTI in tow, appears to finally be heading home to Port LA tonite.
#SpaceXArmada (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceXArmada?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166982.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186422.jpg)Sam Sun‏ @BirdsNSpace (https://twitter.com/BirdsNSpace) 21 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/BirdsNSpace/status/1022183694138658817)

A #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) Block 5 pokes out of the Vandenberg fog bank this morning. @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) successfully delivered another 10 satellites on this #Iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium7?src=hash) mission!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166586.jpg)

21 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/BirdsNSpace/status/1022183695782825984)

Different rocket, different pad, but a very similar appearance to May's Atlas InSight launch.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166619.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186373.jpg)Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 22 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1022159242726232064)

Thanks for taking a chance on @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) so many years ago! Looking forward to using the new Iridium constellation.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 25 июл. (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1022106329475772416)

Thank you @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) for another awesome flight! Glad everyone enjoyed the @Spotify (https://twitter.com/Spotify) playlist - kudos to my team (particulary JH) for so many great choices. Most importantly, all 10 satellites have checked in!!!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184861.jpg)Roger Craig Smith‏Подлинная учетная запись @RogerCraigSmith (https://twitter.com/RogerCraigSmith) 25 июл. (https://twitter.com/RogerCraigSmith/status/1022104251101663235)

Quick #TimeLapse (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TimeLapse?src=hash) of the launch, as well.(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125382.png)

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1022104187994165248/pu/vid/640x360/cG7bM4VDM7ptQJ1H.mp4?tag=3 (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1022104187994165248/pu/vid/640x360/cG7bM4VDM7ptQJ1H.mp4?tag=3)
(video (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1022104187994165248/pu/vid/640x360/cG7bM4VDM7ptQJ1H.mp4?tag=3) 0:06)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184854.jpg)SpaceX Fleet Updates‏ @SpaceXFleet (https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet) 13 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1022510894495002625)

[Mr Steven] is inbound to the Port Of LA. She may be carrying 1 or both fairings onboard. Rough seas and high winds mean they may be very damaged.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184854.jpg)SpaceX Fleet Updates‏ @SpaceXFleet (https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1022519317710163973)

[Mr Steven] - ARRIVAL - Port of LA. She is heading towards the BFR Factory to berth.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184854.jpg)SpaceX Fleet Updates‏ @SpaceXFleet (https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1022523765882847237)

Mr Steven has returned carrying a single intact fairing on her deck. (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125426.png) @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167007.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1022526351218106368)

Mr Steven brought the Iridium-7 launch fog along. Fairing half looks to be in pretty good shape for another ocean landing (due to wind shear). Hoping for a successful net catch next time! #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) #iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/iridium7?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167032.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 16 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1022507850625679360)

Might not be able to completely keep up, but our Ops team is doing simultaneous platform checkout on all 10 sats and everything is looking good. SV155 will complete first and start ascent to storage orbit tomorrow afternoon. SV158 should be on Saturday, then SV156 on Sunday.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 7 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1022911987100016641)

More photos from Falcon 9's launch of Iridium-7 → http://flickr.com/spacex  (https://t.co/095WHX44BX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167246.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167245.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167244.jpg)

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184854.jpg)SpaceX Fleet Updates‏ @SpaceXFleet (https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1022930547591602176)

[NRC Quest][Pacific Freedom][JRTI] - ARRIVAL - Port of LA. The West Coast Fleet are back in port after the difficult landing on the 25th.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186344.jpg)Matt Hartman‏ @ShorealoneFilms (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms) 19 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/1022935432143634432)

Welcome home #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #Block5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Block5?src=hash) #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167303.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186344.jpg)Matt Hartman‏ @ShorealoneFilms (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/1022945179752222720)

impressive!! #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash) #block5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/block5?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167234.jpg)

ЦитироватьWelcome home #Falcon9 (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23Falcon9) #Block5 (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23Block5) #spacex (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23spacex)

Matt Hartman (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHu9tqDs6l8R8RfNqqLObtQ)

Опубликовано: 27 июл. 2018 г.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 14 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1022965659536261120)

Heading home now, but here is one more shot of the Iridium-7 booster and those teeth on JRTI.
#spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167323.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186344.jpg)Matt Hartman‏ @ShorealoneFilms (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms) 6 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/1023071372635824128)

SpaceX / Falcon9 @ San Pedro 07-27-18
#flickr (https://twitter.com/hashtag/flickr?src=hash) #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash) #Block5 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Block5?src=hash)

flickr.com (https://www.flickr.com/photos/81789298@N05/sets/72157671652213298/)

Цитировать

SpaceX / Falcon9 @ San Pedro 07-27-18

SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 booster returns to San Pedro this afternoon after a successful return from space. This Booster, the 1st Falcon 9 Block 5 for the west coast, is designed to be flown 100times before retirement. 07-27-18

38 photos

Цитировать(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/981105707402477570/ClqZBljg_bigger.jpg)Jack Beyer‏ @thejackbeyer (https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer/status/1023303668412497921)

Iridium-7's Falcon 9 is now being moved to land! I'll be live streaming recovery on Instagram if you want to follow along. http://www.instagram.com/neonheatdisease  (https://t.co/6Ih6pVee8Y)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167457.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1023676278233133056)

Looks like Block 5 leg removal is beginning here in San Pedro.
#spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash)

Цитировать

Timelapse of SpaceX 's Falcon9 Block5 booster arriving @ SanPedro yesterday 07-27-18

ЦитироватьSpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket's drone ship return captured in stunning detail [gallery]

By Eric Ralph (https://www.teslarati.com/author/eric-ralph/)
Posted on July 29, 2018

Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin has captured SpaceX's first West Coast Falcon 9 Block 5 booster recovery in the best detail yet seen of the rocket upgrade, well-worn after its first successful launch of Iridium NEXT-7, July 25.

Спойлер

Iridium-7 marked a number of important debuts for SpaceX: Falcon 9 Block 5 (Booster 1048, in this case) completed its first West Coast launch from SpaceX's Vandenberg pad, drone ship Just Read The Instructions' (JRTI) first rocket recovery attempt and success in nearly ten months, and recovery vessel Mr Steven's first (albeit unsuccessful) attempt at catching a Falcon fairing with a dramatically enlarged net and arms.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134977.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-block-5-rocket-droneship-photo-gallery/f9-b1048-arrival-overview-pauline-acalin-1c-crop/)
SpaceX's third Falcon 9 Block 5 booster successfully returned to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) on July 27th. (Pauline Acalin)

Although inclement wind conditions foiled Mr Steven's fairing catch effort and put pressure on Falcon 9 B1048's journey to JRTI, Iridium-7 was flawlessly placed in orbit and Falcon 9 managed a slightly off-center but still thoroughly successful landing on the drone ship off the coast of California. With that launch and land debut on the West Coast and a second successful East Coast launch of a Block 5 rocket to the East just a few days prior, SpaceX has effectively demonstrated the basic functionality and reliability of the upgrade's many far-reaching changes to the underlying Falcon 9 architecture.

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

Recovered booster 1048's single-piece cast titanium grid fins. They were able to maneuver the vehicle through stormy winds at sea, landing it safely on Just Read the Instructions following Iridium-7 launch. #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) #iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/iridium7?src=hash) #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167504.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167503.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167505.jpg)

[свернуть]

8:00 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1023584076328972288) - 29 июл. 2018 г.

JUST READ THE INSTRUCTIONS RECOVERS A ROCKET

After nearly ten months largely spent berthed at SpaceX's original Port of San Pedro dock space, drone ship JRTI has at long last returned to sea and successfully recovered a Falcon 9 booster, this time marking the West Coast launch and landing debut of the Block 5 rocket. Photos of the drone ship and rocket's return to port were some of the best ever seen, thanks largely to the port's layout and narrow mouth, which allowed Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin to put giant telephoto lenses and a unique top-down perspective to good use.

Iridium NEXT-7 thankfully brought an end to the understandable but still-painful practice (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-old-falcon-9-expendable-boosters-iridium/) of intentionally expending twice-flown Falcon 9 boosters in the ocean after launch. Thanks to Iridium-7's new Block 5 booster, B1048, expending the rocket was out of the question, as it likely will be for most Block 5 launches in the future. A combination of several expendable missions and an unfortunate duo of recovery anomalies (a small fire after Koreasat 5A and the Falcon Heavy center core landing failure) led to JRTI sitting on the sidelines since October 2017, as a considerable subset of its critical thruster hardware had to be stripped in order to keep East Coast sister ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) operational for a handful of attempts in 2018.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134979.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-arrival-overview-pauline-acalin-9c/)
Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134989.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-recovery-details-pauline-acalin-9c/)
Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134978.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-arrival-overview-pauline-acalin-4c/)
Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134988.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-recovery-details-pauline-acalin-15c/)
Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134982.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-jrti-details-pauline-acalin-2c/)
Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)

Many of the months JRTI spent at berth were thus without the pod thrusters the drone ship needs to keep itself at the proper landing point once at sea. Still, JRTI departed the port with a full complement of four blue thrusters on the evening of July 22 and had a highly successful return-to-action. Sadly, it's unclear how much SpaceX will need the vessel within just a month or two from today – after the final Iridium launch (NEXT- 8 ) in November or December, perhaps all of SpaceX's future Vandenberg launches will be lofting lightweight payloads that should allow the company to rely almost entirely on its brand-new rocket landing zone (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-vafb-rocket-landing-pad-debut-september-recovery/) – conveniently colocated barely 1000 feet from the pad – for CA rocket recoveries.

F9 BLOCK 5 SHOWS OFF ITS UPGRADED EXTERIOR

Falcon 9 Block 5 booster (B1048 ) arrived at Port of Los Angeles on July 27 after landing at sea aboard drone ship JRTI (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-landing-iridium-fairing-catch/). Photos captured by Pauline arguably show the best details yet seen of the rocket upgrade, ranging from titanium grid fins to extraordinary shots of its sooty-but-still-sorta-shiny Merlin 1D engines.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134990.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-return-day-2-pauline-acalin-1c/)
B1048 arrives in Port of LA aboard drone ship JRTI. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134981.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-interstage-pauline-acalin-4c/)
B1048, one launch down and dozens to come. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134980.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-interstage-details-pauline-acalin-2c/)
B1048, one launch down and many more to come. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134984.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-merlin-1ds-pauline-acalin-1c/)
B1048's beautiful Block 5 Merlins, showing off their subtle shine despite a healthy coating of soot. (Pauline Acalin)

Myriad others provide an amazing sense of place with SpaceX technicians conducting thorough post-landing checkouts, carefully documenting the booster's condition, and generally wrenching on a massive, orbital-class rocket (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-vs-blue-origin-titans-new-space/) that completed a suborbital jaunt to space just days prior.

Of particular note are detailed views of the silky black "highly flame-resistant felt" now covering Falcon 9's interstage (the top segment), landing legs, octaweb section, and raceways (the black lines traveling up and down the rocket). Compared to beat-up, older Falcon 9s (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-toasty-falcon-9-booster-dock-port-photo-gallery/), B1048's shielded components look barely worse for wear, and it would genuinely be difficult to determine if the rocket had flown before without the telltale soot fingerprint present after every Falcon 9 recovery.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134987.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-recovery-details-pauline-acalin-11c/)
A little of everything: landing leg, octaweb, Merlin 1Ds, and drone ship JRTI. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134985.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-octaweb-details-pauline-acalin-3c/)
B1048's octaweb attach points for a huge range of fluids and propellants. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134986.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-octaweb-details-qd-checkouts-pauline-acalinc/)
A SpaceX recovery technician documents one of Falcon 9 B1048's quick-disconnect panels. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134967.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/b1048-leg-details-pano-pauline-acalinc/)
One of B1048's four upgraded landing legs. (Pauline Acalin)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/134983.jpg) (https://www.teslarati.com/f9-b1048-leg-hardware-pano-pauline-acalin-1c/)
And another view of B1048's beautifully intricate leg hardware. (Pauline Acalin)

The only mystery that still remains is what exactly Falcon 9 Block 5's octaweb heat-shielding (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-hundreds-launches-30-rocket-fleet/) looks like, reportedly one of the most critical and research-intensive upgrades necessary for true rapid reusability and reliability through many, many flights. Now built largely of titanium bolted to the octaweb, among a number of other extremely heat-tolerant metals and materials (https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-superalloys-raptor-rocket-engine-elon-musk/) and even active water-cooling in spots, the new heat-shield was designed to carry the brunt of the reentry heating Falcon 9 experiences with ease.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьJuly 30, 2018 at 8:01 AM EDT

Seventh Set of Iridium® NEXT Satellites are Performing Well During Pre-Operational Testing

MCLEAN, Va., July 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that the 10 Iridium NEXT satellites launched on Wednesday, July 25th, by SpaceX are functioning nominally and have begun the testing and validation process. The launch brought the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 65, leaving just one more launch of 10 satellites to complete the Iridium NEXT launch program.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/150107.jpg)

"It's incredible that we only have one more Iridium NEXT launch to go," said Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Iridium. "Since Wednesday's launch, the team is focused on settling these 10 new satellites into their designated slots, all in plane five.  Once we are done with this batch, plane five will be comprised of all Iridium NEXT satellites, and we will be ready and waiting for the final launch of this historic program."

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.  One more Iridium NEXT launch is scheduled for 2018, which will bring Iridium's total number of new satellites in orbit to 75, including nine spares. A total of 81 satellites are being built, including 66 operational, nine on-orbit spares and six ground spares.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьSpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 Booster (Timelapse) - Port of LA, 7/29/18

TESLARATI.com (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgY_B6vi2610bBkXFwCxcTg)

Дата загрузки: 30 июл. 2018 г.

Technicians working to detach the landing legs.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 8 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1024354089583431680)

L-7 operations update: SV155 & 158 have completed ascents to 700km storage orbit from 625km insertion orbit. 156 finishes tonight, and 159,160,163 & 165 are on their way up. Payload screening continues on many. Primary links will start activating on Thursday. All looking good!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167009.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 16 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1024801239542902784)

Falcon 9 B1048's Merlin engines. 7/30 #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) #iridium7 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/iridium7?src=hash) #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167332.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167333.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 25 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1025164733756801024)

PUT ME DOWN. (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125475.png) Both cranes lifted B1048 today and then placed it back on its mount. Technicians have been hard at work prepping the booster for its first reflight as early as Sept fr om Vandenberg, wh ere it will also attempt the first west coast land landing.
#spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) @Teslarati (https://twitter.com/Teslarati)

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1025164700487540736/pu/vid/480x480/NOC6HAUpfJmk97rj.mp4?tag=5 (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1025164700487540736/pu/vid/480x480/NOC6HAUpfJmk97rj.mp4?tag=5)
(Video (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1025164700487540736/pu/vid/480x480/NOC6HAUpfJmk97rj.mp4?tag=5) 0:05)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186319.jpg)Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 (https://twitter.com/w00ki33) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/w00ki33/status/1026228516906364928)

Amazing that there are currently two spacecraft sitting at the same port right now, each back from space within days of each other. Dragon capsule from CRS-15, and Falcon 9 B1048 from Iridium-7. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166921.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166920.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166919.jpg)

ЦитироватьIridium NEXT Seventh Launch Highlights

IridiumComm (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6-3U3gUwQHvQ1jyj4dOpQ)

Опубликовано: 9 авг. 2018 г.

On July 25, 2018, Iridium successfully launched 10 more Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Shortly after deployment, Iridium confirmed successful communication with all 10 new satellites, formally bringing the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 65. This leaves just one more launch to complete this ambitious launch program. Here are some of the highlights and memorable moments of this exciting day.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg)Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1035609461405241349)

Launch 7 satellite activities complete: 59 of 66 satellites in our constellation are now Iridium NEXT vehicles - 89.4% complete! 4 of 6 planes are all NEXT, with the 5th plane complete in a few weeks when SV153 drifts into position. ...

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/168477.jpg)