American private company launched the first commercial satellite

On December 3, at Air Force base in Cape Canaveral, Florida state, Space Exploration Technology Corporation SpaceX successfully launched the SES-8 satellite into space.

This is SpaceX's first commercial satellite launch, marking the entry of a new face into the industry.

According to SpaceX, 14 minutes after leaving the launch pad, the satellite entered the geostationary orbit (about 80,000km from Earth).SES-8 has been put into orbit with Falcon boosters 9 . This is the latest version of the type of boosters invented and manufactured by SpaceX, which has successfully carried out many transports in space. Earlier, plans to launch SES-8 satellites were delayed twice due to technical problems.

Photo: universetoday.com

SES-8, worth $ 100 million, is a telecommunications satellite , made for Luxembourg's SES. It is expected that the satellite will provide TV, cable and other services for many countries, including China, India and Vietnam.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk admitted that the SES-8 satellite launch program is the most difficult task of the company yet but the first step for SpaceX's entry into the full commercial satellite market. demand, estimated to be worth $ 190 billion / year.

Founded in 2002, Sapce X is considered a major US private space transport company. The company had a deal worth up to $ 1.6 billion with the US Aerospace Agency (NASA), which uses SpaceX's Falcon 9 missiles and Dragon's spacecraft to perform at least 12 shipments turned to the International Space Station (ISS).

Two of these shipments were successfully carried out and it is expected that the third shipment of cargo into space will be carried out in February 2014.