After two months of delays, SpaceX was finally able to launch their Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. At 11:15 a.m. on Monday, the rocket took off carrying six ORBCOMM Generation 2 (OG2) satellites that were then successfully placed into the proper insertion orbit.
Originally scheduled for April 30, the OG2 Mission 1 was delayed due to technical problems, weather, and availability of the U.S. military's Eastern Range. However, the mission was successfully launched on Monday and one more will follow to complete the $230 million 17-satellite network. The Falcon 9 rocket placed the six OG2 satellites 500 miles above Earth into separate orbits where they joined an existing 25-satellite ORBCOMM network.
ORBCOMM's next generation OG2 satellites will offer two-way data links to help customers track, monitor, and control transportation and logistics assets, heavy equipment, oil and gas infrastructure, ships and buoys, and government-owned equipment. Each 374-pound satellite possesses advanced communications technologies and are more powerful, efficient, and cutting edge than their OG1 predecessors. They will provide quicker service, enhance coverage at higher latitudes, and allow for larger message sizes and increased data rates.
ORBCOMM is a leading provider of global machine-to-machine solutions (M2M), which their current satellite system is based on. The company intends to use the OG2 satellites to plug holes in the system to make the network faster, and they're paying $47 million to do so, with SpaceX conducting two launches with the Falcon 9 rocket.
"The successful launch of the first OG2 mission is a testament to the entire OG2 team at ORBCOMM, SpaceX, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Boeing, and Moog, and I'd like to thank them for their hard work and dedication," said Marc Eisenberg, ORBCOMM's Chief Executive Officer, in this MarketWatch press release. "OG2 will enable our customers to send and receive more data, with greater speed, more efficiently than ever before."
When satellites are out of range, ORBCOMM experiences gaps between 30 and 60 minutes, but the OG2 satellites, which are expected to last for ten years, aim to eliminate such gaps and delays. But ORBCOMM isn't the only one benefitting from Monday's launch; SpaceX is further testing their newer landing system for the Falcon 9 rocket to determine whether the company can reuse the rockets and save millions of dollars annually. Both companies hope to receive good news in the near future.
You can read more about SpaceX's launch of ORBCOMM satellites in this Reuters news article.
