The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted into space at 11:15 am from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. With a few scrubbed attempts dating back to May 1o due to weather and technical problems, there was even a delay as recent as this morning due to a Ground Support Equipment issue.
But all that was resolved, and the rocket had a successful liftoff for the private company Orbcomm as it carried six commercial satellites into orbit, Bay News 9 reports.
According to their website , “ORBCOMM (Nasdaq:ORBC) is a leading provider of global machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions and the only commercial satellite network 100% dedicated to M2M.”
The satellites launched in the 244-foot rocket today are designed to “provide stronger communications for the company’s customers around the world,” according to Bay News 9 . The use of these satellites will assist Orbcomm clients in tracking ships, trucks, cargo containers, remote oil and gas infrastructure, weather buoys, research stations, among other things, as reported by Space Coast Daily .
Today’s launch is just the first of many that Orbcomm has planned. In fact, Orbcomm is launching a total of 17 satellites as part of a $230 million expansion plan,” according to Bay News 9 .
[Photo Credit: SpaceFlightInsider.com]
