The total number of next-generation satellites Iridium expects to deploy now that it has booked an eighth Falcon 9 launch. Five Iridium Next satellites will share the early 2018 launch with two GRACE-FO gravity-mapping satellites developed by NASA and German research center GFZ. Both Iridium and GFZ had planned to carry out launches using Dnepr, but that rocket has been grounded indefinitely by lack of Russian government approvals.
展开▼
