SpaceX Upgraded Falcon 9 Successful Launch & Clear Droneship Landing - Iridium-2 (2017-06-25)
Jump to: 02:35 MECO (Main Engine CutOff) 03:45 New Titanium Grid Fins Deployment 06:03 Entry Burn 07:45 Landing on the Droneship Just Read the Instructions Elon Musk's tweets BEFORE the mission: "Flying with larger & significantly upgraded hypersonic grid fins. Single piece cast & cut titanium. Can take reentry heat with no shielding." "Launch at 1:25 delivering 10 satellites for Iridium. Droneship repositioned due to extreme weather. Will be tight." Elon Musk's tweet AFTER the mission: "New titanium grid fins worked even better than expected. Should be capable of an indefinite number of flights with no service." Official statement from SpaceX: "SpaceX is targeting launch of Iridium-2 from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The instantaneous launch window is at 1:25 p.m. PDT, or 20:25 UTC, on Sunday, June 25. A backup launch opportunity opens at 1:19 p.m. PDT, or 20:19 UTC, on Monday, June 26. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the second 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 satellites will begin deployment about an hour after launch. Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 will attempt a landing on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean." This is a video recording of the live webcast available on spacex.com at 2017-06-25 20:25 UTC.
