A Falcon 9 rocket set to launch the final 10 Iridium Next satellites to complete the constellation also represents the first launch of 2019 from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The Space Exploration Technologies rocket will target liftoff for 7:48 a.m. Tuesday from Space Launch Complex-4 on South Base, according to Iridium Communications officials.
The mission has an instantaneous window giving the team one shot a day to get off the ground so the satellites are placed where they need to be in space.
However, the departure is dependent upon favorable conditions as rain returns to the Central Coast.
Additionally, SpaceX typically conducts a static fire test — counting down but not lifting off — ahead of the launch. As of Friday night, SpaceX had not confirmed that the test took place.
The final 10 Iridium Next satellites will complete a launch campaign that began two years ago with the first set of satellites and even earlier with the announcement about the creation of Iridium Next dating back to 2007.
“Our final launch … is by far the most important milestone of all,” Iridium CEO Matt Desch said in a teleconference Thursday morning.
Those reasons include the completion of a $3 billion network refresh for voice and data communications and the new services such as Iridium Certus broadband service and Aireon global air traffic surveillance.
“To me, this launch symbolizes something even more important. It means finally realizing a dream that the founders of this system had more than 30 years ago,” Desch said. “It means our network will finally achieve the financial independence and the security that makes a satellite network operator mature and successful and creates a lot of opportunity that we’ve never had before.
“This is a big deal for our customers, our partners and, frankly, for the industry itself.”
In 2018, Iridium added 25 satellites in space and saw the system significantly surpass the 1 millionth subscriber mark, among several company milestones that made it “a big year,” Desch said.
With the next set of satellites, Iridium will have 75 spacecraft in orbit to mark the completion of the second-generation communication system.
“These aren’t tiny satellites either,” Desch said, adding that each satellite weighs a ton, or about the size and weight of a Mini Cooper automobile.
Most of the original Iridium satellites — or 60 — launched into space aboard Delta II rockets from Vandenberg starting in May 1997 and continuing into 2002, setting all sorts of industry records at the time.
Iridium Next touts itself as the world’s only space-based communications system allowing voice and data communication anywhere on Earth.
The constellation is designed to operate with 66 satellites, but the company will keep several spares in space readying to move into operation if another spacecraft fails.
The name Iridium comes from the 77th element on the Periodic Table and reflects the original architecture of 77 satellites for the constellation. While the original system designers ultimately decided to use 66 satellites, they kept the name Iridium rather than choosing the 66th element — dysprosium.
The excitement about the innovative system hit reality when Iridium encountered financial troubles, leading to bankruptcy and ultimately rebirth, including replacement of the aging satellite.
Once the rocket launches, it will bring the total number of Iridium satellites since the start to 170 and will be the 30th rocket to carry the craft to orbit..
“I would say these are records for any network to date,” Desch said.
Meanwhile, departure for United Launch Alliance’s delayed Delta IV Heavy rocket launch, once set for no earlier than Jan. 6 from Vandneberg’s Space Launch Complex-6, remains up in the air. That mission will carry a top-secret spacecraft into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.