Success
Iridium-6 & GRACE-FO
Communications
SpaceX(SpX)CommercialFalcon 9 Block 5
LEOorbit
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.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at 7:47 PM
Replay
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#5,753
SpX Mission
#62
Pad Launch
#78
Location Launch
#679
Designator
2018-047
Weather GO
90%
Launch Window
NET
May 22, 2018, 7:47 PM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Falcon 9 Block 5 Specs
Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
Length
70 m
Diameter
3.65 m
Launch Mass
549 t
Thrust
7,607 kN
LEO Capacity
22,800 kg
GTO Capacity
8,300 kg
Launch Cost
$52M
Reusable
Yes
Maiden Flight
2018
Fastest Turnaround
1h 5m
Total Launches
586
Successful
585
Failed
1
Consecutive Success
288
Maiden flight: May 11, 2018
Space Launch Complex 4E
Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) is a launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, U.S. The pad was previously used by Atlas and Titan rockets between 1963 and 2005. The pad was built for use by Atlas-Agena rockets, but was later rebuilt to handle Titan rockets.
Total Launches
269
Orbital Attempts
269
Fastest Turnaround
2d 10h
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.
Founded
2002
Administrator
CEO: Elon Musk
Total Launches
681
Successful
666
Failed
15
Pending
120
Consecutive Success
166
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Vandenberg Space Force Base is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base, equivalent to an Air Force air base wing. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.
Timezone
America/Los_Angeles
Local Launch Time
May 22, 2018, 12:47 PM
Total Launches
885
Total Landings
34
Coordinates
34.7513, -120.5202