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 “synergistic” relationship with SpaceX and the latter’s launch vehicle helped bring the seven batches of communications satellites into space, The Hill reported Friday. “I don’t think we would have been able to get these 75 new satellites into space over the last two years if it hadn’t been for […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch has said the company plans to launch on Dec. 30 the final batch of Iridium NEXT satellites aboard a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket, Teslarati reported Thursday. Desch said in a tweet the Iridium-8 mission will take off aboard Falcon 9’s previously-flown booster from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. He noted the B1049.2 booster would skip a return-to-launch […] More

Iridium will continue to provide satellite communications services to the Defense Information Systems Agency under a six-month, $44M contract modification. The Defense Department said Friday that DISA will obligate fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds for work slated to occur through April 21 of next year. The company was awarded a $400M contract in 2013 to […] More

Iridium Communications has partnered with Amazon Web Services to develop a cloud-based satellite platform designed to advance the adoption of internet-of-things applications and services. Iridium said Thursday it plans to launch in 2019 the Iridium CloudConnect service that will work to provide worldwide coverage for AWS’ IoT applications through its satellite network. CloudConnect “will allow […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch has said satellite internet of things has become the “strongest growing area for the company,” Via Satellite reported Thursday. Desch noted that Iridium is not in competition with other satellite communications providers and works to differentiate itself. “We have always been different from other broadband networks,” he said at the World Satellite […] 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 told NASASpaceflight.com in an interview published Tuesday how the company’s satellite network and devices worked to help first responders communicate and perform recovery operations in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico last year. “We could see this tremendous spike [in Puerto Rico and some of the surrounding islands] as […] 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 CEO Matt Desch has said he expects the company to start a “capex holiday” over a 10-year period once it completes the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation, SpaceNews reported Monday. “I know the history of other satellite operators regarding capex holidays isn’t so good, but our motivations are very different,” Desch, a four-time Wash100 recipient, […] More

Iridium Communications‘ recently launched batch of 10 NEXT satellites began pre-operational testing and validation process with systems functioning nominally. SpaceX launched the satellites Wednesday, bringing the NEXT constellation to 65 satellites, Iridium said Monday. The satellite communications firm aims to launch an eighth batch later this year to complete program. The upcoming set would bring the […] 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