Troy Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev set off from Japan in their helium-filled balloon on January 25, 2015 and landed off the Mexican coast six days later. They broke two world records and they say that IridiumĀ® was a big part of their success.
The records that the two pilots broke were for the longest duration of a balloon in the air and the longest distance traveled by a balloon. Troy and Leonid traveled some 6,646 miles (10,696 kilometers) and spent 161 hours and 17 minutes aloft in the air together. The old record for distance traveled of 5,208 miles (8,382.54 kilometers) took place in 1981. The previous mark of 137 hours, 5 minutes, 50 seconds was achieved by Double Eagle II on a 1978 transatlantic flight.
Steve Shope was the director of mission control center for Troy and Leonidās flight in Albuquerque, NM. Steve was involved with designing the communications system for the balloon and he provided the pilots with an Iridium GO!Ā®, an Iridium ExtremeĀ® and an Iridium partner tracking device from spidertracks. When asked what was one of the biggest challenges in this mission, he says āWe didnāt know where the balloon was going to land, because the weather was so unpredictable.ā The plan was to land in the US, but then they started heading to Vancouver, Canada. They encountered a high pressure ridge and made a U-turn and headed down to Baja, Mexico. The ballooning community all around North America and major media outlets, like ABC News and CNN were on stand-by. Steve remembers āTroy would call my cell phone from his Iridium Extreme in the middle of the night. I cannot say enough how great the Iridium equipment worked- it was easy to use, provided continuous coverage over the Pacific, and was less hassle than the competitorsā devices. The Spiders were fabulous too.ā
Troy Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev, ready for takeoff.
Troy Bradley, one of the pilots also shared his impressions of Iridiumās role in this world record. āIt is imperative to have good communications when you are on a mission depending on meteorologyā, states Troy. He shares that things have changed quite a bit from the time he was growing up. In the past the balloons would lose communications for hours or days. Typically a failure in communications, not a failure in the flight equipment, would lead to an unsuccessful expedition. āTalking to a meteorologist is crucial. Without connection, conditions for landing would be less than ideal. We wouldnāt know when to slow down, go up higher, stop or change track speed. Luckily we had an Iridium GO! and an Iridium Extreme on boardā, says Troy. He shares that he was able to call the mission control team, send emails and post updates on his Facebook page. āThe ability to track weather scenarios was priceless. The meteorologists would tell us not where we are but where we should beā, continues Troy. When fatigue and stress are high, having instant communications on board is invaluable according to the pilot. When asked how he overcomes the fear of heights, he says that reliable equipment, forecast and team make you feel safe. Troy has 58 world balloon records behind him.
First picture from capsule.
Iridium applauds adventurers like Steve and Troy and is proud to provide the critical communications that support their efforts.
Wondering how to satisfy your voice and data communications needs, while also taking advantage of the best value in the maritime market? Iridium is currently offering double the data allowance on current Iridium PilotĀ® plans – no hidden charges and no long-term commitment required. Through the Iridium Pilot Double Value promotion, users have the power to choose the right amount of data for their business at a fair price through flexible plans to meet their unique needs. Built to perform in the toughest of conditions at sea, Iridium Pilot keeps you connected when you need it most, delivering broadband connectivity from pole to pole.
Want to meet our team of industry experts? Iridium will be participating in a number of maritime events around the globe to spread the good news on the 40 percent savings on Iridium Pilot data and voice plans. Be sure to stop by and meet the minds behind the 2015 Iridium Pilot Double Value Promotion.
Guillermo (Willie) Benegas and his twin brother Damian lead Benegas Brothers Expeditions, and were guiding an excursion on Everest when the first earthquake struck Nepal. As the expedition quickly turned from adventure to rescue mission, the team developed a plan to provide relief through a system of local porters, hired to carry food and supplies to remote villages throughout the country. The project, called āNepal Relief: Building a Path to Recovery,ā is designed to create jobs, keep much-needed aid money in the region and reestablish important trade routes between communities. Hereās Willieās account on how the use of the Iridium PilotĀ® Land Station helped them succeed in their efforts by not only providing logistical support, but also connecting locals back to loved ones in areas cut off by the disaster.
āOne of the key elements of this project, āNepal Relief: Building a Path to Recovery,ā that has enabled us to succeed is access to a reliable communication system. During our planning and organization, Iridium provided us with the Iridium Pilot Land Station, which allowed us to set up quickly for deployment in a remote location. Powered by the IridiumĀ® global satellite network, the equipment gave us the ability to communicate worldwide with our logistics partners, enabling real-time updates on weather conditions and ETA of supplies. But beyond the technical aspects of our project, and even more importantly, the Iridium Pilot Land Station provided the village of Laprak with a means to communicate with loved ones who had been separated since the first earthquake on April 25th.
I have been using satellite modems and telephones for years in my job as an Everest mountain guide. I have to say that this unit far exceeded my expectations. We have three Iridium ExtremeĀ® satellite phones with us as well, which have allowed us to create an invaluable network with access to communication 24/7. To get the project off the ground, we were sending guides on remote, exploratory missions to other villages where we are trying to provide relief in the most extreme terrain. Knowing that they were equipped with these reliable tools gave us an incredible peace of mind. We knew that if anything went wrong they could contact us immediately in an emergency situation, and we would be able to respond with help. As of today, weāve moved 20 metric tons of relief supplies to remote areas of Nepal through our system of hired porters and are continually working to move supplies to all the villages above Laprak. This project will take at least one more month, with a goal to provide enough supplies to last local communities three months.
In the end, I am the most grateful for one particular moment that will stay with me forever: seeing the smile of a mother who was finally able to talk to her son who had been air-lifted to Kathmandu. For 20 days, she had no form of communication with him and, as a result, no idea if he was even alive. To see her smile and her eyes shining when she heard his voice again for the first time was amazing. I am so grateful to Iridium for the support theyāve provided to us through equipment and connectivity, but the locals in Laprak must be the most thankful. In so many ways, Iridium has provided a truly critical lifeline to the people of Nepal.ā – Guillermo (Willie) Benegas, Benegas Brothers Expeditions
Simple set up makes for flexible installation at the Benegas Brothersā base camp (courtesy of Damian Benegas).
The Iridium Pilot Land Station provides critical broadband connectivity in the mountains of Nepal (courtesy of Damian Benegas).
When your company is known as the worldās leading M2M (machine to machine) network services provider, access to global connectivity is critical to operations.
Delivering network services to application solution providers and enterprises supported by a wireless operator grade, KORE Telematics offers connectivity around the globe over GSM, CDMA & satellite technologies.
Through a single, unified interface, the M2M company distributes a highly scalable business management platform that presents all network services and technologies.
KORE originally started with a sole focus of cellular connectivity with both GSM and CDMA but eventually found that customers were looking to access wireless connectivity beyond just these networks.
In the last four years, KORE expanded into satellite M2M connectivity using Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD). The company has developed a partnership with Iridium so its customers could use Iridium for access to data where there were no cellular networks available.
The partnership with Iridiumās high-availability network allows KORE to offer true low-latency connectivity to its customers, anywhere on the planet. Ensuring concrete connections means that KORE can offer customers value in the form of geographic coverage, device/service metrics and the enhancement of mission-critical applications.
Watch our video of Felix Chuang, KORE Senior Product Manager as he explains what the partnership between Iridium and KORE has to offer.
Iridium and KORE share a proud partnership and are looking forward to further expansion in 2015.
