How were the 10 Iridium NEXT satellites deployed by SpaceX?

Question

Can someone explain (in general or specific terms) how SpaceX deployed these 10 satellites? I'm trying to imagine the mechanisms and process of launching these objects with the required precision. Is there a satellite "dispenser" of some sort (a "tube") with these objects stacked up inside?

Update: I read the possible duplicate question but it didn't go into the actual mechanism(s) involved or provide any details about how this sort of precision launch is accomplished (e.g. a servo spins up the object to a specified rotation speed and then...). (I didn't watch the linked webcast).

SpaceX Returns to Flight with 10-Satellite Launch, Rocket Landing

SpaceX's two-stage Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from a launch pad just a few hundred meters from the scenic California coastline here today at 12:54 p.m. EST (1754 GMT; 9:54 a.m. local California time), carrying 10 communications satellites to low-Earth orbit for the Virginia-based company Iridium. After a week of heavy rain and strong winds, only a few clouds obscured the view of the rocket as it climbed skyward.

Deployment of the satellites began 59 minutes after liftoff and took about 15 minutes, SpaceX representatives said.

Answer 1

SpaceX knows from the time they are getting in to the detailed mission plan the number of satellites, and where they will be on the spacecraft. The stack looks like below (Source)

Given that there were 10 satellites, I imagine they are in a pentagon formation. Each of these satellites is mounted by a few points, usually 4 or more, with springs loaded to them. There is also a cable that is attached together such that it can be detached without any damage, to connect it to the satellite. You can see an example from the very similarly mounted Orbcomm satellites. There are a number of such pictures here.

There is also a photo that shows the satellite attached at 4 points, most likely for a vibration test, although that isn't clear.

Basically what happened is the rocket commanded each of the satellites to be released at a certain time. I'm not sure of the exact latching mechanism, likely it was a kind of exploding bolt. When it was released, the satellite would be accelerated by the spring and leave the rocket behind.

SpaceX will have done an analysis to figure out the proper orientation of the rocket when deployed. There is a particularly funny phenomena in orbital mechanics where something that is moved faster actually will orbit slower, so all of the objects will switch in orbit very early on, within the first orbit usually. SpaceX will have done the simulation to show that there is no chance that these objects will "recontact" during that period of time.

The rocket will try to remain as still as possible during the deployment, at it's assigned orientation. There may be a slight "tip off" rotation that is induced during the deployment, but this is taken in to account during the planning of the sequence.