Mary-Louise Hoffman
Iridium Communications worked with Boeing and L-3 Communications to build the system control segment for Iridium’s NEXT satellite and a facility for managing after-launch and early-orbit satellite operations.
The NEXT control segment is designed with L-3 Telemetry-West‘s InControl software that will work to manage command and control of the satellite constellation, Iridium said Wednesday.
Boeing oversaw SCS’s overall development and will provide operations and maintenance services for the Iridium program.
“With the SCS upgrade and completion of the Launch and Early Operations control facility, we’ve passed two huge launch milestones and are now operationally ready for the launch of Iridium NEXT,” said Scott Smith, Iridium chief operating officer.
The LEOP infrastructure is co-located with the satellite firm’s mission control center and built to monitor the fleet’s critical phases of deployment.
Iridium expects the satellite network to be fully operational by 2017.
