Science Focus
original post »SpaceX mostly grabs attention for its resupply flights to the International Space Station and for its plans to carry humans to orbit some day soon. But the reason NASA is interested in the company is because it provides a cheap ride to space. And, for that reason, SpaceX has also attracted the interest of commercial satellite providers.
Today, SpaceX hopes to send to orbit some commercial communication satellites from Orbcomm. The hardware, called OG2, will eventually form a 17-satellite mesh that provides constant global coverage. The hardware is compact and light enough that SpaceX's Falcon 9 will be able to carry six to orbit in a single launch.
Right now, weather conditions suggest there's better than even odds that the launch will have to be scrubbed. Should it go ahead, the scheduled departure time is just after 6pm, US Eastern time. SpaceX is livestreaming the launch for those who would like to tune in.
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» see original post http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/science/~3/PBDUMEV7CtY/
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