A fifth batch of 10 Iridium Communications satellites entered testing and validation phase shortly after the latest set in the company’s NEXT constellation launched into space. Friday’s launch increased the number of NEXT satellites in orbit to 50 and marked the second use of SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 first-stage booster, Iridium said Tuesday. “I’m beyond proud of our team at the Satellite […] More

Iridium Communications’ fifth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites lifted off Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 rocket and established communications with the company’s satellite network operations facility after launch. The launch marks the second use of the rocket’s first-stage booster that SpaceX deployed in October 2017 to send the third set of […] More

Iridium has unveiled the next batch of six companies that will offer the Iridium Certus satellite broadband service for ground-based mobile operations beginning mid-2018. Certus is powered by the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation and will be integrated with Thales‘ MissionLINK terminal to support the off-the-grid missions of public safety, utility, oil and gas, military and non-government […] More

Iridium Communications has announced the arrival of the fifth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in preparation for the launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that is set to take off on March 29. Iridium said Monday each satellite will go through encapsulation, fueling and other pre-launch processing […] More

Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, has said the company is likely to launch on March 29 the fifth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites aboard a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceNews reported Monday. Desch, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, added the company expects subsequent launches to occur every five to six weeks to complete the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation. The sixth […] More

Iridium Communications’ fourth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites took off Friday at 5:27 p.m. Pacific time from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 rocket. The launch marks the first use of the rocket’s previously-flown first stage that SpaceX fielded in June to bring the second set of Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit and serves […] More

SpaceX has begun processing the fourth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites at its west coast launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in preparation for the Dec. 22 launch aboard a pre-flown Falcon 9 rocket as part of its launch campaign with Iridium Communications. Iridium said Tuesday the company and SpaceX are set […] More

Iridium Communications continues to provide satellite communications services in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico to aid hurricane recovery efforts, NASASpaceflight.com reported Saturday. Iridium CEO Matt Desch, an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 for 2017, told the publication that Iridium saw an increase in satcom demand in the Carribean and Puerto Rico “on a scale that we have […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch has said the company’s network of low-Earth orbit satellites works to accommodate satellite phone communications amid the high demand for satcom services in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, USA Today reported Friday. Desch said usage of satellite phones that usually lasts for three to five days following a disaster has […] More

Iridium Comxmunications has rescheduled to Oct. 4 the launch of a third batch of 10 NEXT communications satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, aboard a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket. The company said Wednesday it began pre-launch processing activities on the satellites and the Falcon 9 rocket stages and components. The third Irdium NEXT launch was originally slated […] More

Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, has cited internet of things as a growing business area for the Virginia-based satellite company during a panel discussion at the Summit for Satellite Financing that, Via Satellite reported Monday. He told audience at the Euroconsult-hosted forum that Iridium is focused on business cases instead of satellite frequency bands and that […] More

Iridium Communications has begun to replace old satellites with Iridium NEXT satellites through its Leesburg, Virginia-based facility that works to automate the process of moving the new satellites into their positions, Space News reported Monday. The personnel at the company’s satellite network operations center in Virginia have written new commands to automate “slot swaps” in […] More