After the shuttle program shutdown last year, Falcon 9 is the revival of the $100 billion outposts sponsored by 15 nations. Around 8:35 pm of Sunday EDT, Falcon 9 was launched from the station in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
In trying to explain the problem SpaceX, a private company, said, "Like the Saturn 5 (moon rocket) and modern airliners, Falcon 9 is designed to handle an engine-out situation and still complete its mission. No other rocket currently flying has this ability."
The satellite was delivered in an orbit lower than the planned launch. Supposedly, the satellite should be launched at a low point of 217 miles (350 km) and a high point of 466 miles (750 km) from Earth. Right now, the satellite is placed in an orbit with ranges from 126 miles (203 km) to 200 miles (323 km).
The Harvard University astrophysicist and publisher of Space Report said, "Orbcomm will not be able to get to its operational 750 x 750 kilometer orbit, but there’s a chance they’ll get a few month’s of system tests out of it."
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