Japan-based company Icom has partnered with Iridium Communications to develop a handheld radio technology that will use push-to-talk method to help users communicate. The partnership intends for the device to support communications among first responders, military personnel, remote workers and nongovernmental organizations that operate in areas where ground infrastructure is limited, Iridium said Friday. Both companies expect to introduce […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch has said the company intends to deboost the last batch of its legacy satellites in the first quarter of 2019 as it plans to transition all network functions to the Iridium NEXT constellation, SpaceNews reported Wednesday. Desch, a four-time Wash100 recipient, told reporters Monday at World Satellite Business Week in Paris the company has […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch said the company expects to complete the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation this year to help Aireon meet its timeline for delivery of aircraft monitoring service through the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system, NASASpaceflight.com reported Friday. “The reason why that’s important isn’t for any services that we have today, it’s for Aireon – which is a […] More

Iridium Communications’ seventh batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites took off Wednesday aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch is the seventh of eight Iridium NEXT satellite missions that SpaceX agreed to perform to replace the McLean, Va.-based company’s existing network of 66 satellites in low-Earth orbit, Iridium said Wednesday. […] More

Scott Scheimreif, executive vice president of government programs at Iridium Communications, has said he believes there will be an increased demand for small-form-factor antennas with agile broadband connectivity that work to support mobile communications during public safety and humanitarians missions. Scheimreif told MilsatMagazine in an interview how several relief organizations communicated through Iridium’s push-to-talk service […] More

ExecutiveBiz talked with Matt Desch, chief executive officer, and a four-time Wash100 winner, about Iridium’s May 22nd satellite launch, their partnership with SpaceX and where he sees the company’s path ahead. “Over the years, we’ve gone public and renewed ourselves to the point that we’re not just surviving anymore; we’re thriving.” ExecutiveBiz: You’ve been chief […] More

  Seven companies have agreed to serve as Iridium Communications’ service providers for the Iridium Certus broadband capability for maritime applications. The McLean, Va.-based company said Tuesday the distributors of the L band service now include Globecomm, Network Innovations, Pivotel, MVS USA, IEC-Telecom, MetOcean Telematics and Samsan Enterprise Company. Wouter Deknopper, vice president and general […] More

The U.S. Coast Guard uses sensor technologies and satellites to perform communications, situational awareness, navigation and remote sensing operations in the Arctic region, National Defense reported Tuesday. A 2018 report by the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center says some of the technologies the Coast Guard uses for navigation and domain awareness include personal locator beacons; long-rang […] More

The five Iridium Communications satellites that Hawthorne, Calif.-based firm SpaceX launched Tuesday have entered the testing and validation phase. “Three of the [Iridium NEXT] satellites from this launch will be going directly in to service in our sixth orbital plane, where the other two will serve as spares,” Iridium Chief Operating Officer Scott Smith said in a […] More

Hawthorne, Calif.-based firm SpaceX has launched five satellites for Iridium Communications along with two Earth observation spacecraft from NASA and the German Research Center for Geosciences as part of a ride-share agreement. Iridium said Tuesday the launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base is the sixth out of eight Iridium NEXT deployment missions that SpaceX agreed […] More

Five Iridium NEXT satellites that are scheduled for launch on May 19 have arrived at SpaceX’s launch site in Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to go through pre-launch processing procedures. Iridium Communications said Wednesday each satellite will be mated in the dispenser, fueled, stacked on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s payload adapter and encapsulated […] More

Iridium Communications‘ fifth set of NEXT satellites that launched Friday includes Aireon-built global air traffic surveillance technology payloads. Aireon said Friday its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system is designed to provide aircraft tracking coverage with a 15-minute update interval and help airlines test aircraft tracking systems via space-based ADS-B. The International Civil Aviation Organization and European Aviation Safety […] More