SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral early Sunday carrying a communications satellite from Israel Aerospace Industries. The payload was kept under wraps until liftoff.
“We at IAI are very proud of the development and successful launch of Israel’s national communications satellite, Dror-1,” said Boaz Levy, CEO and President of IAI. “Dror-1 is the most advanced communications satellite ever built in Israel. Its mission is to support the country’s strategic capabilities while providing Israel with essential satellite communications capabilities for many years to come.”
The satellite, which weighs 4.5 tons and is about 60 feet in diameter when its solar panels are fully deployed, is expected to reach its fixed orbit above Earth in about two weeks.
SpaceX has only been involved in a few such secret missions.
It was the 13th launch of the Falcon 9 first stage, which placed the Falcon 9 into low Earth orbit. About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the rocket landed on the unmanned vessel Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.
It was the 128th time a drone has been used to recover a vehicle and the 474th landing of a SpaceX rocket overall.
Sourse: www.upi.com
