Iridium Communications has scheduled the launch of its next-generation global satellite constellation Iridium NEXT for Dec. 16 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will carry 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to low-Earth orbit to replace an existing commercial satellite network in space, Iridium said Thursday. The planned launch announcement follows […] More

Iridium CEO Matt Desch announced in a Twitter post Monday the arrival of the stage 1 booster for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in California for the launch of Iridium satellites as part of the company’s NEXT constellation, Ars Technica reported Monday. Eric Berger writes the rocket’s first stage booster was spotted Sunday in Arizona en route to Vandenberg […] More

Iridium CEO Matt Desch has said he is confident that SpaceX is back on track to launch Iridium’s new fleet of satellites into orbit after Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, spoke about the cause of the Sept. 1 explosion of the Falcon 9 rocket, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. “We’ve been privy to the thinking and the […] More

Iridium CEO Matt Desch has said prospective customers of the company’s next-generation satellites want to see quality of data that the new constellation could provide before making commitments through contracts, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Andy Pasztor writes Desch told the publication in an interview that customers such as the Federal Aviation Administration are running a cost-benefit […] More

Orbital ATK has transported the first two next-generation Iridium satellites to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as part of preparations for the scheduled liftoff on Sept. 19, Spaceflight Now reported Wednesday. Stephen Clark writes the satellites were shipped via truck from an Orbital ATK-run manufacturing facility near Phoenix to Vandenberg, where eight additional message transmission […] More

A team of Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK has finished construction work on the first batch of communications satellites for Iridium‘s NEXT program, Spaceflight Now reported Wednesday. Stephen Clark writes the satellites are set for delivery to Vandenberg Air Force Base for fueling and mating with a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket prior to the launch of initial  satellites on Sept. 11, […] More

Iridium Communications will launch the first line of its NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base on September 12. The company said Tuesday Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK have completed assembly, integration and testing of the 81 satellites on the assembly line, which includes 66 operational satellites to replace the current Iridium network. “After more than seven […] More

Iridium Communications will release a new satellite communications service offering for the government and enterprise sectors in the second quarter of 2017. The Certus service will be powered by Iridium’s NEXT satellite network and will work to deliver broadband connectivity to public and private sector customers as a standalone option or in conjunction with very small aperture terminals, Iridium said Tuesday. Iridium CEO Matt Desch said the […] More

Iridium Communications has introduced a technology platform the company designed to help users access satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing data in locations where GPS services are limited or unavailable. The Satellite Time and Location system will work to verify GPS, Galileo and Glonass navigation signals when deployed through Iridium’s constellation of cross-linked satellites in low-Earth orbit, the company said Monday. Matt Desch, Iridium CEO, […] More

Iridium Communications eyes the possibility of launching by 2018 a satellite system that monitors an aircraft’s global positioning system transponder to help broadcast flight information in real time, CBS News reported Friday. “A global surveillance system can track that airplane down to the second and help you find it very quickly,” Iridium CEO Matt Desch told the news station. Existing systems […] More

Iridium Communications, CEO Matt Desch has called on the Federal Aviation Administration to transition to a new aircraft surveillance system by the end of this calendar year in an interview with Reuters posted Tuesday. Desch told Reuters’ Andrea Shalal at the Satellite 2016 conference the agency needs to make a decision ahead of the scheduled 2018 date for […] More

Iridium Communications has delayed the launch of its 66-satellite Iridium NEXT constellation from April to July after the launch provider notified of delays in obtaining government approvals for the launches, Iridium CEO Matt Desch told investors Thursday. SpaceX will launch 10 Iridium NEXT satellites in December on its Falcon 9 rocket and joint Russian-Ukrainian spaceflight company Kosmotros will subsequently launch two […] More