SpaceX successfully launches second Falcon 9 rocket in days
Elon Musk's rocket company sends up Iridium satellites on a "block 5" booster, the most powerful SpaceX booster yet.
A SpaceX block 5 Falcon 9 lifted off Wednesday morning.
SpaceX successfully launched another of its reusable block 5 Falcon 9 boosters from California early Wednesday.
The rocket deployed 10 satellites for sat-phone company Iridium from Vandenburg Air Force Base at 4:39 a.m. PT, in the seventh of eight scheduled launches of 75 satellites that'll be used to upgrade the company's constellation.
Elon Musk's SpaceX reported that it was able to land the booster on the droneship "Just Read the Instructions," stationed in the Pacific, despite rough weather. It was unable to catch either half of the nose cone using its giant net mounted on the ship "Mr. Steven," however, even though the net is larger than the one used in the last attempt.
Despite challenging weather conditions, Falcon 9 first stage booster landed on Just Read the Instructions.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 25, 2018
Iridium curated a Spotify playlist to go with the launch, with instructions on the exact timing to start it.
Wednesday's launch was the company's second in days. SpaceX sent the Telstar 18 Vantage broadband satellite -- the world's heaviest commercial communications device -- to space on Sunday.
First published July 25, 4:47 a.m. PT.
Update, 6:01 a.m. PT: Adds that the Iridium satellites were deployed.