On Friday, December 22, SpaceX's Falcon 9 successfully lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The timing of the launch, the technology and mother nature collaborated to produce some spectacularly beautiful images and sightings over parts of California and Arizona. The launch took place late in the evening, providing a dark backdrop and back-lighting by the setting sun of the exhaust plumes given off by various rocket stages.
The launch, from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, carried 10 Iridium satellites into orbit. This was the fourth 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.
The Falcon 9 first stage rocket was previously used in the Iridium-2 mission from Vandenberg SLC-4E in June 2017. The first stage landed in the ocean and was not intended to be recovered.
Some Videos
Here is one of the best video captures of the launch, with annotations and music -
In this video, one can clearly see the first stage shut down, stage separation, 2nd stage engine start, the fairing pieces and their RCS thrusters, the first stage boostback burn start, and the first stage landing burn. Note that the first stage made a controlled plunge into the sea, not just fall and break up into pieces.
A view from Bakersfield with good close-up shots -
Here is a video with some mesmerizing time-lapse segments of the event -
Here is one with a beautiful twilight backdrop -
SpaceX launch as seen from the cockpit of a Citation over Riverside at 34,000 ft.
Here is video taken from a chopper in Phoenix, ~370 miles away, with some interesting commentary from awe-struck reporters -
The glowing whale-like cloud sparked thoughts of UFOs and nuclear missiles for many observers. Elon Musk joked about it too -
Here is the full SpaceX webcast of the launch event —
The next video shows the deployment of the ten Iridium NEXT satellites, starting at approximately 57 minutes after the launch.
What is Iridium NEXT?
Iridium NEXT is a low-earth-orbit (LEO) communications satellite system operated by Iridium Communications Inc. It replaces the first generation satellites launched in 1998. It consists of 66 active satellites (and a few spares) in 6 orbital planes, at an altitude of 781 km. The original concept used 77 satellites and hence was named Iridium, the element with atomic number 77.
The Iridium satellite constellation provides voice and data services to satellite phones, data terminals and businesses including planes, trains and automobiles, at any location on Earth. The new constellation will provide data speeds of up to 128 kbit/s to mobile terminals, up to 1.5 Mbit/s to Iridium Pilot marine terminals, and high-speed service of up to 8 Mbit/s to fixed/transportable terminals.
References
I hope, many of you on the West coast, got a chance to view this mesmerizing event. For others, we have these videos. Keep an eye and plan for future late-evening launches from Vandenberg.
References
- SpaceX Iridium-4 NEXT Mission press-kit— www.spacex.com/…
- Iridium wiki — The original concept was to have 77 satellites, which is where the name Iridium came from, being the element with the atomic number 77
- Iridium Next page at spaceflight101 — spaceflight101.com/…
- Galaxies and Nebulae by Hubble (2017) — www.dailykos.com/...