** SpaceX on Friday launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg AFB in California with 10 Iridium NEXT satellites. The first stage booster returned for a bulls-eye landing on a platform floating in the Pacific Ocean:
- SpaceX begins 2019 with eighth and final launch for upgraded Iridium network – Spaceflight Now
- Iridium boss reflects as final NEXT satellite constellation launches – NASASpaceFlight.com
See also the full SpaceX webcast. Here is a video of Tim Dodd’s launch webcast:
Here are scenes from the SpaceX webcast showing the return and landing of the booster, though, as usually happens, the signal is interrupted as the rocket lands due to the plume shaking the platform:
** China on Thursday launched a Long March 3B rocket with the Zhongxing-2D/Chinasat-2D communications satellite going to a geostationary orbit:
- Long March 3B lofts Chinasat-2D – NASASpaceFlight.com
- First space launch of 2019 sees China loft ChinaSat-2D communications satellite | gbtimes.com
- China begins 2019 launch campaign with a success – Spaceflight Now
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