The private firm SpaceX on Friday said a partially-reused rocket successfully launched and deployed the latest group of satellites to upgrade communication networks for Virginia-based company Iridium.

"We have successful liftoff of the Falcon 9," a SpaceX commentator said after the rocket roared off with a tail of fiery exhaust from Vandenberg US Air Force base in California.

SpaceX confirmed on Twitter the "successful deployment of all 10 @IridiumComm NEXT satellites to low-Earth orbit."

It was the fifth set of 10 satellites that SpaceX has launched for Iridium, whose $3 billion project is expected to include a total of 81 satellites -- with 75 launched by SpaceX.

The first stage of the rocket sent aloft on Friday had been used in October for a previous launch as part of the project, known as Iridium NEXT.

SpaceX did not attempt to make another recovery of the rocket's first stage after Friday's launch.

However, it did try to land the fairing -- the rocket's nose cone -- on a SpaceX-owned boat named "Mr Steven," which is equipped with a huge net.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter the fairing "impacted water at high speed," without confirming explicitly if the landing was successful or not.

Musk aims to make rockets as reusable as commercial airplanes, bringing down the cost of spaceflight and boosting efficiency.

In February the company's Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful rocket, blasted off on its maiden test flight carrying Musk's cherry red Tesla roadster car.

The Iridium project, though less flamboyant, will replace the world's largest commercial satellite network of low-Earth orbit satellites in one of the largest "tech upgrades" in history, improving mobile, voice and data networks, Iridium has said.

Some of the satellites are designed to help track ships and aircraft in real time.

elm/it/ska/it

TESLA MOTORS

Related Links
The latest information about the Commercial Satellite Industry

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Iridium Certus Distribution Expands; Enables Globally 'Connected Vehicles', Assets and Teams
McLean VA (SPX) Mar 14, 2018
Iridum has announced the next wave of Iridium Certus service providers selected to deliver this next-generation satellite broadband solution for land-mobile applications. This group of six world-class service providers includes, Globalsat, IEC Telecom, Marlink, McQ, Pivotel and Tesam Argentina S.A. ("Tesacom"). Together, these companies further expand the footprint for Iridium Certus land-mobile services. The introduction of Iridium Certus and the new Thales MissionLINK terminal is a game-changer ... read more