SpaceX Lands $490 Million Satellite Launching Contract

It seems the commercial space industry in the U.S. is suddenly ablaze with activity. SpaceX has just announced a $492 million deal with Iridium to launch numerous satellites into orbit, and it's all thanks to the Falcon 9 rocket success.

Iridium is the owner-operator of what it calls "the only truly global satellite communications" system for the public. It's the tech behind those satellite phones that news reporters sometimes use in particularly far-flung parts of the world. The company is...