Iridium Next Prepares to Ride the Falcon

Universe Today ^ | April 14, 2011 | Jason Rhian

[jmcenanly]

To date, Iridium NEXT is the largest commercial space launch contract with any single entity. All total, the contract is worth an estimated $3 billion. As part of that Iridium Communications Inc. signed into a deal with Space Explorations Technologies (SpaceX) as its major launch provider of its communications satellites on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The manner in which the Iridium NEXT family of satellites is launched will be a dramatic departure from how Iridium launched its first suite of satellites back in the 90s.

[jmcenanly]

The future of space travel is in the hands of private enterprise.We are going to hear big things from this company. http://www.universetoday.com/84638/spacex-unveils-launch-of-falcon-heavy-worlds-most-powerful-rocket-by-2013/

[backwoods-engineer]

Yeah, SpaceX is doing the engineering right. Get hardware working, test repeatedly until reliability is achieved, then make a small step forward, rinse and repeat.

[Chode]

countdown to manned flight... i hope

[Wonder Warthog]

"Yeah, SpaceX is doing the engineering right. Get hardware working, test repeatedly until reliability is achieved, then make a small step forward, rinse and repeat."

An approach advocated early and often by sci-fi author and computer guru Jerry Pournelle.