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As expected, the mission's payload, the Orion capsule, will carry

Dec. 4, 2017 by Kenneth Newton

As expected, the mission's payload, the Orion capsule, will carry a payload of 3.5 tonnes of cargo -- all of which will be assembled to test the new Iridium technology. While this is an important step, the first Orion capsule is expected to take about three months to complete in operation.

The last mission of the new year, scheduled for the same time, will take place in late 2011, when the first Orion launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first Orion, a reusable rocket, is scheduled to launch in November 2014 and take the crew to Mars in 2017.

It's worth noting that the launch is scheduled to be the first flight of the new year, a milestone that is expected to last for at least the next couple of years. The launch could also have the appearance of a major announcement for the company that will mean more significant improvements for the company's performance than it did prior the launch.

SpaceX's last manned mission on Nov. 11, 2010, was the first to successfully deliver a cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. However, the launch did not end well for the company, which was left without one of its two spacecraft, the Dragon X.

The company is still looking to improve its performance, even after the first Iridium mission in October 2013. With the launch of the first Iridium NEXT satellite, SpaceX will need to improve its reliability after four years of low-power testing at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The company's failure to deliver a payload for its next-generation constellation should also hurt it in the long run.

SpaceX's fourth and final Iridium mission, a new spacecraft named the Atlas V, is scheduled to launch on March 24. The first of the new Iridium spacecraft will be designed to perform a "launch scrub in space," where the rocket can be put on standby for a few minutes to test, then return to earth as the mission progresses. The Atlas V may not be ready to launch in 2017, but it will be on course for launch in 2018.