Q&A with Kurt Eberly, Orbital ATK’s Antares deputy program manager

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) on 31 January from Cape Canaveral with the GovSat 1 communications satellite.

Peering down at the Earth’s atmosphere from a research window aboard the International Space Station, a new science instrument launching Tuesday will compose unprecedented characterizations of the chemical makeup of shooting stars.

Iridium chief executive Matt Desch spoke with Spaceflight Now on the eve of the first launch for the company’s next-generation satellite fleet, discussing the $3 billion upgrade’s technical and financial ramifications and his feelings before deployments begin in orbit.