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martyb writes:

Sorry for the late submission, but I just read over at Ars Technica that SpaceX has scheduled two launches in the next 3 days -- the first of which is in less than 45 minutes from the time of this writing.

Company remains on pace for 20 launches this year, smashing previous records.

SpaceX has made 13 successful launches this year, and with every additional flight it continues to add to its record for total number of missions in a calendar year. The company's previous high-water mark for launches came in 2016, with eight. But SpaceX flew no additional missions after Sept. 1 last year, standing down following a fueling mishap that destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and its payload on the launch pad.

Now, SpaceX is going for two launches in three days. On Monday, the company will attempt to launch 10 satellites into orbit about 700km above the Earth for Iridium. Scheduled for 8:37a.m. ET, the launch will take place from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This is SpaceX's third of eight launches for Iridium, which is establishing a new constellation of communications satellites known as Iridium NEXT. After launching, SpaceX will attempt a return landing of the first stage aboard the "Just Read the Instructions" droneship in the Pacific Ocean. The webcast below should begin 15 to 20 minutes before the launch attempt.

Then, on Wednesday, SpaceX is scheduled to attempt a launch from Kennedy Space Center at 4:30pm ET. This mission will put the SES-11/EchoStar 105 satellite into geostationary orbit. One of the highlights of this flight is that SpaceX will be flying a "used" first stage booster—only the third time the company has attempted this. A droneship landing attempt in the Atlantic Ocean is anticipated.

The first launch, of the Iridium satellites can we watched live on YouTube.

[Update: The launch was successful, the first stage landed back on droneship with no issues, and all ten Iridium Next satellites were deployed successfully. - Fnord666]

Musk's Successful SpaceX Iridium Launch Brings It Closer to 2017 Target

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