SpaceX just launched 10 satellites into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California using a Falcon 9 booster. And thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you can watch the entire launch online.
Screenshot: SpaceX
This launch marks the fifth set of satellites to be sent into space for the global communications company Iridium. Each set consists of 10 satellites, with a total of 75 planned.
Skip to the 21:40-mark to see the launch at T-10.
Like the previous launch by SpaceX, there was an attempt to catch part of the nose cone, called the fairing, something that’s typically seen as expendable despite its roughly $US6 ($8) million price tag. The fairing missed the recovery net by just a few hundred meters during the company’s last try.
Unfortunately, SpaceX didn’t have much luck this time around either:
GPS guided parafoil twisted, so fairing impacted water at high speed. Air wake from fairing messing w parafoil steering. Doing helo drop tests in next few weeks to solve.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2018
Here are some screenshots from today’s launch:
