Blast-off from Launch Complex 2 at the military spaceport came at 6:04 am Pacific time Wednesday, inside of a tight five second launch "window". The booster roared away into the dawn, pitching over to a flight azimuth of 196 degrees, north to south. The launch marked the second time the Delta has been used to deliver Iridums to orbit. On May 5th a Delta delivered a crop of the satellites successfully. Iridium has also used the Russian Proton booster from Baikonur Cosmodrome. Eventually, the company will use nearly every available commercial launch vehicle in the medium lift class, possibly including Long March 3 boosters from Xichiang Space Center, China.

Once aloft, the Iridium spacecraft orbit at 420 nautical miles altitude. The final satellite constellation, comprised of some 66 spacecraft, is planned to provide a space-based satellite wireless communications network that will allow telephone connections anywhere on Earth. The constellation will feature 11 satellites each in one of six separate orbital planes. Completion of the network is planned for next year.