ORBCOMM Inc. (Nasdaq: ORBC) and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) announce they have reached an agreement for SpaceX to launch 18 ORBCOMM Generation 2 (OG2) satellites to begin as early as the fourth quarter of 2010 through 2014. SpaceX will deliver ORBCOMM’s second-generation satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) for the purpose of supporting ORBCOMM’s existing constellation of satellites, adding new features, and growing its global Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) offerings.
SpaceX’s Falcon 1e Rocket Replaces Cheaper Falcon 1 Space News
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., will replace its Falcon 1 rocket by the end of 2010 with the more capable and more expensive Falcon 1e rocket, the company said Aug. 6.
The upgraded version of the rocket uses a more powerful engine than the one originally designed for Falcon 1 and will be able to put larger, heavier payloads into orbit. A Falcon 1e launch will cost “under $11 million,” Rob Peckham, SpaceX vice president of business development, said in an e-mailed response to questions. Originally marketed as a $6-million rocket, SpaceX more recently pegged a Falcon 1 launch at $8 million.
SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket put Malaysia’s RazakSAT remote sensing satellite into orbit on Tuesday from a seaside launch pad in the Marshall Islands.
The launch, which occurred at 3:35 p.m. local time (8:35 p.m. PDT Monday), appeared to go flawlessly based on a live webcast. About a half hour after the rocket reached orbit, the second stage relighted and deployed the satellite into its correct orbit over the Equator.
This is the first satellite placed into orbit by the California-based start-up. In its most recent launch, Falcon 1 put the second stage of the rocket into orbit but there was no satellite aboard. Three previous launch attempts failed.
This launch marks the first time that a privately funded, liquid fueled rocket has placed a satellite into orbit.
The launch window for the fifth Falcon 1 launch opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).
SpaceX will provide live coverage of the Falcon 1 Flight 5/RazakSAT mission via webcast at www.SpaceX.com. The webcast will begin 20 minutes prior to launch and will include mission briefings, live feeds and launch coverage from the launch site. Post-launch, video footage and photos will be available for download on the web site.
SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 1 rocket with Malaysia’s RazakSAT remote sensing satellite from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands on Tuesday local time (Monday in the United States).
SpaceX’s website indicates that “the launch window opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).”
This will be the fifth launch of the Falcon 1 rocket, which has succeeded once in four previous attempts.
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) of Malaysia announce a new launch window has been set for Falcon 1 Flight 5, carrying the RazakSAT satellite to orbit. The launch window opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket takes off on first successful flight.
SpaceX’s launch of Malaysia’s Razaksat remote sensing satellite has been rescheduled for mid-July, a two-month slip from its original April 21 launch date.
Another Big Moment for Elon Musk Air & Space Magazine
At 37 years old, Elon Musk is poised to become either the Henry Ford or the Howard Hughes of his generation. If his Falcon rockets and Tesla electric cars succeed, he’ll revolutionize 21st century transportation. If they don’t, he’ll likely be remembered as a colorful, clever, but ultimately irrelevant tinkerer. After all, Neil Young has an electric car, too.
Due to a potential compatibility issue between the RazakSAT spacecraft and Falcon 1 launch vehicle, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) have agreed to postpone the launch of ATSB’s RazakSAT satellite.
courtneymalloy1: Video: Flight of the Xombie | Parabolic Arc: Masten Space Systems Xombie rocket on a test flight on March 18, 2010... http://bit.ly/atOO7d
