Iridium Communications has rescheduled the launch of the first pair of Iridium NEXT satellites to April to provide an additional four months to address an issue with the satellite’s communications payload, Spaceflight Now reported Tuesday. Stephen Clark writes Iridium CEO Matt Desch said Oct. 29 that prime contractor Thales Alenia Space found an issue inside the payload’s Ka-band […] More

Iridium Communications has spent $3 billion on its program to launch 66 satellites that will work to offer airline companies satellite-based air traffic surveillance services, CEO Matt Desch told The Globe and Mail for an article published Sunday. Eric Atkins writes those satellites will carry instruments to collect information such as aircraft speed and location in an effort to help airlines manage fuel usage and flight […] More

Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, told investors Wednesday the company wants to insure its upcoming constellation of NEXT satellites against potential operational risks, Space News reported Thursday. “We have to place insurance before launch and we’re in that process right now,” he was quoted as saying. Desch, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for […] More

Iridium Communications has integrated an Aireon-built air traffic surveillance payload system into a NEXT satellite that is scheduled to go into space between 2015 and 2017. Aireon will utilize the hosted Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast receiver payload to help the aviation industry access information about aircraft position and status, Iridium said Monday. The payload integration effort […] More

Iridium Communications has donated 25 satellite phones and batteries to the International Telecommunication Union as part of efforts to increase the organization’s emergency communications capacity for disaster response and recovery activities. ITU said Wednesday Iridium first donated emergency telecommunication equipment to the organization in 2007. “Iridium’s donation comes at a critical time when natural disasters are on the increase,” said Brahima […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch has shared his thoughts on emerging satellite broadband ventures in an interview with Via Satellite magazine. Mark Holmes writes Desch, an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 for 2015, told the publication he believes the plans of SpaceX and OneWeb to build their own satellite Internet networks somewhat reflect Iridium’s approach […] More

Thales has partnered with Iridium Communications to develop and distribute products for Iridium’s Certus broadband service. Iridium is constructing Certus to use the NEXT platform to deliver enterprise-grade communications to corporate and individual users worldwide, Iridium said Wednesday. Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium and an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 list for 2015, said Iridium looks to manufactures […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch announced that the company has rescheduled the launch of the first two Iridium NEXT satellites to October to give an additional four months for payload-software validation, SpaceNews reported Monday. Peter de Selding writes Iridium has confirmed with launch providers SpaceX and Russia’s Kosmotras their readiness for an accelerated launch schedule between October 2015 and late […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch said the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 incident has prompted the aviation industry to consider using satellite technologies for commercial aircraft tracking, Air Traffic Management magazine reported Tuesday. Aimee Turner writes Desch told the magazine that air navigation service providers are also moving down a path to implement automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast. “I […] More

An International Maritime Organization subcommittee has endorsed the approval of Iridium‘s application to offer satellite communication services through the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. The application is still subject to review by an independent expert panel before final approval by IMO’s maritime safety committee, Iridium said Monday. “The overwhelming support for our application to […] More

Local CEO Matthew Desch took over Iridium, based in McLean, Va., 12 years ago and helped the company recover from a troubled past to become the powerhouse that it is today. Under Desch’s leadership, Iridium averaged nine percent growth during the past decade and is operating in a category all its own. The company has […] More

Iridium Communications launched its third batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into space aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that took off Monday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch brings to 30 the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space and represents the third of eight launches that SpaceX needs to perform to deliver a total […] More