Iridium Communications has received approval from the International Maritime Organization’s maritime safety committee to provide Global Maritime Distress Safety System mobile satellite services. Iridium said Monday it plans to start providing GMDSS services by early 2020 through its satellite network and will collaborate with the International Mobile Satellite Organization to facilitate the delivery of such services through […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch has said the company expects the remaining three Iridium NEXT satellite launches to conclude by the third quarter of 2018, SpaceNews reported Monday. “All of the satellites are going to be in place within probably about 30 days of our final launch,” he told reporters Monday in a conference call Monday. Desch […] More

Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, has said coordination between the private and public sectors is needed to resolve the current space debris problem, USA Today reported Monday. Desch believes the U.S. should lead efforts in space activities, especially in manufacturing satellites, as start-ups have started designing and launching satellites at low cost, making them […] More

Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, has said he observed new low-Earth orbit satellites work to support broadband services that the company already offers along with very small aperture terminals, SpaceNews reported Thursday. Desch told investors in an earnings call held Thursday he believes LEO constellation operators do not pose a significant threat to Iridium’s business. “This is […] 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 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

COMSAT has agreed to provide Iridium Communications’ broadband service to warfighters and other users within the Defense Department by mid-2018. COMSAT will deliver voice calling, telematics data, environmental assessments, usage statistics, staff tracking applications and other capabilities to DoD users and military personnel through the Iridium Certus broadband service offering under the agreement, Iridium said […] More

Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, told Motherboard’s Daniel Oberhaus in an interview published Sunday about the company’s reason for partnering with SpaceX to launch its constellation of Iridium NEXT communications satellites into orbit. “In many ways, the Falcon 9 was built around the Iridium payload because we were the first ones to work with […] More

Iridium Communications plans to launch on March 18 at 8:19 a.m. Pacific time the fifth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites aboard a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The planned launch would bring the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 50 as part of a potential $3 billion program to replace an existing constellation […] More

Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, told CNBC in an interview published Friday the Aireon system payload aboard NEXT satellites aims to help air traffic controllers track an aircraft’s position anywhere on Earth. “Aireon means airlines can fly more direct routes, which could reduce both the cost and time of air travel,” Desch said. The system aims […] 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