SpaceX successfully launches two rockets over the weekend

June 26, 2017 11:30 am
SpaceX’s 30,000-square-foot Redmond facility on Northeast 68th Street. The company also has a 40,625-square-foot office and warehouse complex in the Redmond Ridge Corporate Center. Andy Nystrom, Redmond Reporter
SpaceX’s 30,000-square-foot Redmond facility on Northeast 68th Street. The company also has a 40,625-square-foot office and warehouse complex in the Redmond Ridge Corporate Center. Andy Nystrom, Redmond Reporter

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications, on June 25, according to the company’s website. This is the second set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX — which has two facilities with a combined total of more than 70,000 square feet in Redmond and Redmond Ridge — will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT.

Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 successfully landed on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean, despite challenging weather conditions.

SpaceX CEO and CTO Elon Musk tweeted on June 25: “New titanium grid fins worked even better than expected. Should be capable of an indefinite number of flights with no service.”

Musk posted a sped-up version of the launch on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVxysOlA04j/

On June 23, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket also successfully launched the BulgariaSat-1 satellite into orbit — the first geostationary communications satellite in Bulgaria’s history, reads a press release on the company’s website. This mission marked the second reflight of a Falcon 9 first stage, having previously supported the Iridium-1 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in January of this year.

Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 successfully landed on SpaceX’s East Coast droneship “Of Course I Still Love You,” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This marks the first time a Falcon 9 first stage has landed on both SpaceX’s East and West coast droneships, having previously landed on “Just Read the Instructions” in the Pacific Ocean.