SpaceX to launch 16 OneWeb satellites and Iridium-9 mission to LEO on Friday

On Friday, May 19, SpaceX will be launching 16 OneWeb satellites, including a demonstration satellite named JoeySat, from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 launch vehicle will also be carrying five of Iridium's ground spare satellites to low-Earth orbit. With today's launch, OneWeb's LEO satellite fleet will be augmented, enhancing network resilience and redundancy. JoeySat, on the other hand, will comprise various novel technologies such as a digitally regenerative payload and the demo of multi-beam electronically steered phased array antennas.