SpaceX launches 10 satellites

Los Angeles : US private spaceflight company SpaceX yesterday launched a rocket from California, carrying 10 communications satellites into orbit for Iridium Communications, an American company providing satellite communications.

The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:37 a.m. PDT (1237 GMT) and about 7.5 minutes later, successfully first stage landed on SpaceX’s drone ship “Just Read the Instructions” stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Cheers and applause broke out in the SpaceX control room as the launch was streamed live online. “Today’s mission represents our 15 Falcon 9 launches of the year,” John Insprucker, Falcon 9’s principal integration engineer, said in a webcast.

This is the third of eight scheduled SpaceX launches for the Iridium Next constellation, and will bring the total number of satellites in orbit to 30.

The first launch occurred in January, followed by the second on June 25.