Aireon Launch Begins New Era for Satellite-Based Aircraft Surveillance

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Saturday placed the first 10 Iridium Next satellites into low-Earth orbit, each with an Aerion cargo package carrying an ADS-B receiver. The launch represents the first successful effort in space to create Aireon’s global ADS-B-based aircraft-tracking system expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2018.