February 10, 2020
The new satellites will not create visible flashes of reflected sunlight
Several old satellites have been moved into lower orbits to use up their
remaining fuel and configure the solar panels for maximum drag so they will
re-enter the atmosphere and burn up.The Iridium NEXT program also will bring an
end to so-called "Iridium flares," which space enthusiasts have observed for
years.m.
Iridium plans to put in place 75 new satellites for its mobile voice
and data communications system by mid-2018, requiring six more launches, all by
SpaceX.A SpaceX Falcon 9 on Friday launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida and
boosted a communications satellite for Bulgaria into orbit. PDT from Vandenberg
Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles. It carried a second batch of new
satellites for Iridium Communications, which is replacing its orbiting fleet
with a next-generation constellation of satellites.The new satellites also carry
payloads for joint-venture Aerion&China floor insulation
Suppliers39;s space-based, real-time tracking and surveillance of aircraft
around the globe, which has implications for efficiency, economy and safety -
especially in remote airspace over the oceans.
The new satellites will not
create visible flashes of reflected sunlight as they passed overhead. Its first
stage was recovered after landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic.The Falcon 9
rocket blasted off through low-lying fog at 1:25 p. # A SpaceX rocket carried 10
communications satellites into orbit from California on Sunday, two days after
the company successfully launched a satellite from Florida.Swapping out and
deorbiting some old satellites has already begun, Iridium CEO Matt Desch said in
a pre-launch call with reporters. Some of the new satellites will be so-called
on-orbit spares, or older satellites that remain in orbit on standby for use if
the newer ones malfunction.m. The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off through low-lying
fog at 1:25 p. PDT from Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles."
It's
hard to celebrate something like that, but these satellites have put in almost
20 years of service, and making sure we've cleaned up after ourselves as we
deploy our new constellation is a priority," he said.Billionaire Elon Musk, who
founded Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX, believes reusing rocket components
will bring down the cost of space launches.The first re-entry was believed to
have occurred on June 11, Desch said."This will truly be a revolutionary aspect
of air-traffic control," said Aireon CEO Don Thomas.The technology, which
requires aircraft to be equipped with certain equipment, is undergoing testing
involving eight of the initial batch of Iridium NEXT satellites.The $3 billion
effort by the McLean, Virginia, company involves complex procedures to replace
66 operational satellites in use for many years.About 7 minutes after liftoff,
the rocket's first-stage booster returned to earth and landed on a floating
platform on a ship in the Pacific Ocean, while the rocket's second stage
continued to carry the satellites toward orbit.A SpaceX rocket carried 10
communications satellites into orbit from California on Sunday
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