Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Iridium-8

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Polar Orbit
Mission: Communications

Polar Orbit Space Launch Complex 4E Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA Probability: 60% #Iridium8
B1049 - Just Read the Instructions

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 eighth 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.

Falcon 9

Family: Falcon
Configuration: Block 5

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.

See Falcon Details
Specifications
  • Minimum Stage
    1
  • Max Stage
    2
  • Length
    70.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.65 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    549 T
  • Thrust
    7607 kN
Family
  • Name
    Falcon 9
  • Family
    Falcon
  • Variant
    Block 5
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Falcon 9 Block 5
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $52000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    22800 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    8300 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Booster Info


B1049

Status: Expended


Type: Core
Flight Proven: Yes
First Flight: September 10, 2018
Last Flight: November 23, 2022
Flights: 11
Landings Attempted: 10
Landings Successful: 10
Previous B1049 Flights

Landing Information

The booster will attempt a landing on Just Read the Instructions in the Pacific Ocean.

Result: Successful Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship landing at Just Read the Instructions.

SpaceX

Circle Image
CEO: Elon Musk Founded: 2002 Successes: 242 Failures: 10 Pending: 117

Agency Type: Commercial

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.

INFO WIKI

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Space Launch Complex 4E


Kuaizhou
Success
1 day, 11 hours ago
Longjiang 3
Unknown Pad - Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Low Earth Orbit prototype communication satellite by Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), to test a new satellite platform in the shape of a plate f…


Kinetica 1
Success
3 days, 9 hours ago
Flight 2
Unknown Pad - Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Will carry 26 different satellites on a ride-share launch mission, including Earth observation satellites, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 22 hours ago
Dragon CRS-2 SpX-28
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

28th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commer…


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 1 hour ago
Starlink Group 6-4
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 22 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Starlink Group 2-10
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Chollima 1
Failure
1 week, 3 days ago
Malligyong-1
Malligyong-1 Pad - Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Malligyong-1 (meaning "Telescope-1") is a North Korean satellite officially declared to be for military reconnaissance purposes. It failed to reach o…


Long March 2
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Shenzhou 16
Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) - Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Fifth crewed flight to the Chinese space station.


GSLV Mk II
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
IRNSS-1J (NVS-01)
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India

This is a replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. The constellation will provide India with an alternative to GPS …


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks ago
BADR-8
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Geostationary communications satellite built by Airbus Defense and Space and based on the Eurostar Neo platform for Arabsat.


Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat-M
Success
2 weeks ago
Kondor-FKA No.1
Cosmodrome Site 1S - Vostochny Cosmodrome, Siberia, Russian Federation

The Kondor-FKA is a small civilian radar Earth observation satellite designed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya as a civilian counterpart to the Kondor-E sate…