Ramona Adams
SpaceX has pushed back the launch of a third batch of satellites for Iridium Communications‘ NEXT constellation by five days to Oct. 9, Iridium announced Tuesday on its website.
Iridium CEO Matt Desch said the schedule change was requested by SpaceX to provide more time to prepare the Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the 10 NEXT satellites to low Earth orbit, Spaceflight Now reported Tuesday.
SpaceX is contracted to deploy 75 Iridium satellites in eight batches, with the first two missions conducted in January and June.
Desch, an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 for 2017, told Spaceflight Now in early September that the two companies are considering the use of Falcon 9 rockets with previously-flown boosters for future flights.
The Oct. 9 lift-off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California will involve a Falcon 9 with a new first stage, but Iridium has not dismissed the idea of conducting the next launches with reused Falcon 9 rockets, Desch noted.
SpaceX is also scheduled to deploy a broadcasting satellite for SES and EchoStar on Oct. 7 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
