Trzecia dziesiątka Iridium 09.10. o 12:37:01 z Vandenberg wystrzelona została RN Falcon 9R, która wyniosła w T+52' 05" na orbitę
10 satelitów konstelacji Iridium-NEXT (21-30). W T+7' 23" wykonano lądowanie pierwszego stopnia RN
na barce ASDS JRTI na Pacyfiku.
http://lk.astronautilus.pl/n171001.htm#02
Iridium’s third batch of new satellites set for Monday launchOctober 8, 2017 Stephen Clark
The third set of 10 Iridium Next communications satellites were prepared for launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base over the last month. Credit: Iridium(...) The time of Monday’s launch was calculated to place the 10 Iridium spacecraft into Plane 4 of the company’s constellation, which is spread among six orbital planes, for a total of 66 operational satellites. Two previous deployments of Iridium’s new-generation satellites by SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets in January and June began refreshing the company’s fleet, replacing aging voice and data relay platforms launched in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Designed by Thales Alenia Space of France and built in Arizona in partnership with Orbital ATK, the Iridium Next satellites are mounted on a two-tier dispenser inside the Falcon 9’s payload shroud. The satellites, which each weigh 1,896 pounds (860 kilograms), will separate from the Falcon 9’s upper stage one at a time beginning around 57 minutes after liftoff.
Monday’s mission will give Iridium 30 new-generation satellites in orbit. Iridium ordered 81 Iridium Next spacecraft from Thales Alenia Space, and 75 of them have been assigned for launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets.
Of the 20 Iridium Next satellites launched to date, 13 are already in service, and the other seven are drifting to their designated orbital planes, according to Jordan Hassin, an Iridium spokesperson.
All 10 satellites launching Monday will go into service in Plane 4 within a few weeks of their arrival in space, taking the slots of the spacecraft currently occupying the plane. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/08/timeline-for-falcon-9s-third-launch-of-iridium-satellites/https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/08/photos-spacex-preps-falcon-9-rocket-for-launch-from-vandenberg/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/10/spacex-falcon-9-launch-third-set-iridium-satellites/SpaceX Launches Third Batch of Iridium NEXT Satellites from Vandenberg, Returns First Stage to Drone ShipBy Ben Evans October 9th, 2017
(...) SpaceX was originally expected to deliver 70 Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit, spread across seven missions by its Upgraded Falcon 9. However, on 31 January 2017, Iridium announced that it would benefit from a “rideshare” arrangement, flying another five spare satellites on another Upgraded Falcon 9, carrying NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission in early 2018. All told, it is expected that SpaceX vehicles will transport no fewer than 75 Iridium NEXT satellites into space. (...)
http://www.americaspace.com/2017/10/09/spacex-launches-third-batch-of-iridium-next-satellites-from-vandenberg-returns-first-stage-to-drone-ship/
Wątek: SpaceX Falcon 9R | Iridium NEXT-3 | 09.10.2017 (Przeczytany 5581 razy)