Vandenberg Air Force Base’s first launch of the year took place Friday morning.
After being postponed twice, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:31 a.m. as planned.
The rocket is carrying a set of Iridium NEXT communication satellites into space.
You can watch the launch here:
We're just 6 satellites shy of completing the #IridiumNEXT constellation & you're watching them deploy right now! The other 4 will serve as on-orbit spares. Press play at T+1:00:26 on “Hold On I’m Comin” by @thetemptations https://t.co/q3lckUhC1d @Spotify #Iridium8
— Iridium (@IridiumComm) January 11, 2019
The below webcast was expected to begin again around 8:20 a.m. Friday for second stage engine restart and satellite deployment, according to SpaceX.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/gxIXz9YgYm
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 11, 2019
ORIGINAL STORY: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch at 7:31 a.m. on Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The rocket will carry a set of Iridium NEXT communication satellites into space.
So, anyone have fun plans to kickoff the new year? 😏… #Iridium8 pic.twitter.com/ofTxiGKxkH
— Iridium (@IridiumComm) January 10, 2019
In January 2017, the Iridium company began a campaign to replace its entire network of communication satellites with 75 new satellites.
This will be the eighth and final launch, completing that mission.
Falcon 9 and 10 Iridium NEXT satellites vertical on SpaceX’s California launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Tomorrow’s instantaneous launch window is at 7:31 a.m. PST, 15:31 UTC → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z pic.twitter.com/z3fv7j11xH
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 11, 2019
Vandenberg Air Force Base says there’s a 60 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch.
The “Hawk’s Nest,” located on Azalea Lane in Lompoc, is suggested as one of the best places for the public to view the launch in person.
If you plan to watch the launch online, Iridium has created a custom soundtrack for the big event.
The songs were chosen to coincide with events during the webcast and either serve as a tribute or be somehow related to the Iridium story. The 24 songs cover a wide range, including “The Final Countdown” by Europe, “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC, “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5, and “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift.
To listen, head to the Iridium Communications Inc. account on Spotify and select the Iridium-8 Launch Soundtrack. Open up the SpaceX webcast about 15-20 minutes before launch. Once the webcast begins, find the timer in the top right corner of the screen that shows the launch countdown. When the countdown reaches 12 minutes and 55 seconds, press play on the first song.
If you’re not a Spotify Premium user, Iridium has a list of all of the songs on its website so you can recreate the playlist.
Oops. We did it again… 😮 Introducing the Official #Iridium8 Launch Soundtrack – Keep an eye on our Twitter feed during the launch webcast for the rhyme and reason behind each track! https://t.co/D3FSpy4E24 @Spotify @SpaceX #grandfinale
— Iridium (@IridiumComm) January 9, 2019
