[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A SpaceX Falcon 9 carried seven satellites into orbit Tuesday. The mission, which took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, was the company’s 10th of the year and 56th overall for the Falcon 9 rocket.
The first stage of the rocket flown today for the Iridium-6/GRACE-FO mission previously flew the Zuma mission. SpaceX did not attempt to recover Falcon 9’s first stage after launch.
Five Iridium NEXT satellites were launched as part of the company’s campaign to replace the world’s largest commercial satellite network. It was the sixth of eight Iridium NEXT launches planned with SpaceX, which will deliver 75 new satellites to orbit. Iridium is the only satellite communications network that spans the entire globe.
Two additional satellites were launched as part of a mission for NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences. The GRACE Follow-On mission aims to continue a 15-year history of tracking the movement of Earth’s mass. As its twin satellites fly over areas of higher and lower mass, the distance between them changes slightly due to gravitational forces. By precisely measuring these changes, the distribution of Earth’s mass can be mapped monthly and tracked over time. The data can then be used to monitor changes in ice sheets and glaciers, underground water storage, water in large lakes and rivers, and sea level, providing a unique view of Earth’s evolving climate and its water and energy cycle.
Watch the webcast of Tuesday’s launch below.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_0GgKfwCSk” video_title=”1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]