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Falcon 9 Block 4 | Iridium-6 & GRACE-FO

May 22, 2018 at 7:47 PM UTC

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Falcon 9 Block 4 | Iridium-6 & GRACE-FO launch image
Mission imagery · Falcon 9 Block 4

Launch details

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May 22, 2018 at 7:47 PM UTC

Status: Launch Successful · Live feed refreshes every 30 seconds

Space Launch Complex 4E

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA · 34.6320, -120.6110

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Launch site
Space Launch Complex 4E

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Launch probability
90%
Window opens
May 22, 2018 at 7:47 PM UTC
Window closes
May 22, 2018 at 7:47 PM UTC
Feed updated
December 29, 2023 at 7:05 PM UTC

Mission description

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.

Vehicle

Falcon 9 Block 4

Falcon · Block 4

Height

71 m

Diameter

3.65 m

LEO capacity

22,800 kg

Successful launches

12

Launch complex

Space Launch Complex 4E

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.

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