SpaceX Will Offer a Ridesharing Flight for NASA and Iridium Launch Mission

Earlier this year, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket returned to flight after its September 1, 2016 anomaly by launching the first set of Iridium NEXT satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). Further confirming Iridium’s dedication to SpaceX, the company announced yesterday that their constellation of 75 global communication satellites is now fully contracted to be launched into orbit by eight Falcon 9 rockets. They’ve also snagged a rare opportunity to go into space with NASA.

announces 8th launch, rideshare with NASA/GFZ to deliver 5 Iridium NEXT satellites to LEO, expected by early 2018. https://t.co/ZVHksJxX40

— IridiumIR (@IridiumIR) January 31, 2017

According to Iridium CEO Matt Desch, NASA and Iridium will be sharing the eighth and final Iridium NEXT launch in order to take advantage of cost savings. This will be Iridium’s first ever ridesharing mission.

It’s official: launching 75 of our 81 NEXT sats on a total of 8 Falcon 9s. Same cost through 2018 as last plan with Dnepr. Rideshare=smart! https://t.co/Tj1tt3pQ8K

— Matt Desch (@IridiumBoss) January 31, 2017

With SpaceX’s upcoming SES-10 mission using a refurbished first-stage booster (currently planned for March 2017), the question of whether any of the eight Iridium launches would be following suit was put forth. Desch responded to a Twitter inquiry on the matter, stating that all the contracted boosters would be new.

New. https://t.co/sCnkKPwxem

— Matt Desch (@IridiumBoss) January 31, 2017

SpaceX recently released a photo of the refurbished core to be used on the SES-10 mission after it successfully completed a static test fire.

Prepping to fly again — recovered CRS-8 first stage completed a static fire test at our McGregor, TX rocket development facility last week.

The satellite that will be joining Iridium’s flight is the Geosciences Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, a joint NASA/GFZ German Research Centre endeavor to expand and eventually replace the currently operating GRACE mission launched in 2002.

GRACE features two identical satellites named “Tom and Jerry” which follow one another in orbit at a specified distance while primarily measuring variations in Earth’s gravity field. GRACE-FO will be deployed into a separate low-Earth orbit from the Iridium payload.

Up next for SpaceX is its 10th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, tentatively scheduled for no earlier than February 14, 2017, followed by the previously mentioned SES-10 at the end of February.

Per #SpaceX email, it’s official that CRS10 mission of #Dragon will be 1st flight from #LC39A at Kennedy in mid-February. @NASASpaceflight

— Chris G – NSF (@CwG_NSF) January 29, 2017

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