SpaceX Quietly Launched Ten Satellites Wednesday and Will Open Texas Launch Facility this Year

VANDENBERG AFB, CA -- (Press Release) SpaceX on Wednesday launched ten Iridium NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

This is the seventh set of satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT.

SpaceX’s Senior Communications Manager James Gleeson has also confirmed that the company is, in fact, working towards the activation of its South Texas launch facilities in late 2018, possibly sooner.

The South Texas facility is near Boca Chica and Brownsville, TX.  

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For this seventh Iridium mission, ten Iridium® NEXT satellites were launched as part of the company’s campaign to replace the world's largest commercial satellite network. A total of eight Iridium NEXT launches are planned with SpaceX, which will deliver 75 new satellites to orbit.

In total, 81 satellites are being built, with 66 in the operational constellation, nine serving as on-orbit spares and six as ground spares. Iridium is the only satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium NEXT is one of the largest "tech upgrades" in space history.

The process of replacing the satellites one by one in a constellation of this size and scale has never been completed before. The new constellation is enabling the development of innovative products and services including Iridium CertusSM, the Company’s next-generation broadband solution for specialized applications, like safety services, data and communications, remote monitoring, tracking and more.