May 22, 2018 7:47 pm

Iridium-6 & GRACE-FO

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Falcon 9

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
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May 22, 2018 7:47 pm

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2026-07-11 20:45:08

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 satellites to low Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the sixth set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT. Sharing this launch is the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on mission, which is a joint project of NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences. It’s goal is to track Earth’s water movement to monitor changes in underground water storage, the amount of water in large lakes and rivers, soil moisture, ice sheets and glaciers, and sea level caused by the addition of water to the ocean.
Launch Overview
Window Open 19:47 UTC
Window Close 19:47 UTC
Lift Off May 22, 2018 · 19:47 UTC
Launch Facility Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Launch Pad Space Launch Complex 4E
Target Orbit Low Earth Orbit
Payload Overview
Customer SpaceX
Payload Iridium-6 & GRACE-FO
Rocket Falcon 9
Destination Low Earth Orbit
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 satellites to low Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the sixth set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT. Sharing this launch is the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on mission, which is a joint project of NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences. It’s goal is to track Earth’s water movement to monitor changes in underground water storage, the amount of water in large lakes and rivers, soil moisture, ice sheets and glaciers, and sea level caused by the addition of water to the ocean.

Height

LEO Payload

Total Launches

Status

SpaceX
Space Launch Complex 4E
Launch Overview
Window Open 19:47 UTC
Window Close 19:47 UTC
Lift Off May 22, 2018 · 19:47 UTC
Launch Facility Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Launch Pad Space Launch Complex 4E
Target Orbit Low Earth Orbit
Payload Overview
Customer SpaceX
Payload Iridium-6 & GRACE-FO
Rocket Falcon 9
Destination Low Earth Orbit
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship

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