Fresh off the successful debut flight of a rocket considered the leading contender for launching astronauts and tourists into orbit, Space Exploration Technologies nailed a contract worth nearly $500 million to launch a network of communication satellites for Iridium.
Company founder and chief executive Elon Musk billed it as the biggest contract for commercial launch services ever awarded.
WIDE ANGLE: Supplying the Space Station
The Iridium launches aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets will be staged from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where the firm plans to renovate a pad that was once used by the military’s Titan 4 rockets.
"I think it really reinforces the fact that SpaceX and Falcon 9 are the vehicle of choice for not just NASA, but also for the commercial sector," Musk told reporters during a conference call Wednesday.
SpaceX successfully debuted its Falcon 9 rocket on June 4 with a launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The firm plans a second demonstration launch this summer for NASA of its Dragon cargo capsule. SpaceX has a $278 million contract with NASA for Falcon 9-Dragon development work and a $1.6 billion contract to deliver cargo to the international Space Station. NASA has similar agreements with Orbital Sciences Corp.
The Obama administration is attempting to win support for turning over crew ferry flights to and from the outpost to commercial firms as well, under a proposed five-year, $6 billion NASA program.
Image: SpaceX Falcon 9 flies on debut mission June 4. Credit: SpaceX.
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