Upon completion of on-orbit testing, three of Iridium’s six orbital planes will feature all Iridium NEXT satellites.
Iridium Communications announced today that the five Iridium NEXT satellites launched on Tuesday, May 22nd, by SpaceX are functioning nominally and have begun the testing and validation process. The launch brought the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 55, leaving just two more launches of 10 satellites each remaining for the Iridium NEXT program.
“The team at Iridium’s Satellite Network Operations Center (SNOC) has only positive news to share since Tuesday’s launch,” said Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Iridium. “Three of the satellites from this launch will be going directly in to service in our sixth orbital plane, where the other two will serve as spares. Once testing is completed in a few weeks, and they are put into service, three of the six Iridium orbital planes, 2, 4 and 6, will be comprised of all Iridium NEXT satellites. This is another tremendous milestone on the horizon as we move ever closer to completing this historic tech refresh.”
The Iridium constellation is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 operational crosslinked satellites, for a total of 66 satellites in the active constellation. This unique architecture creates a web of coverage around the earth, enabling Iridium to provide real-time communications over the oceans and from even the most remote locations. Two more Iridium NEXT launches are scheduled for 2018, to bring Iridium’s total to 75 new satellites in orbit, including nine spares. A total of 81 satellites are being built, including 66 operational, nine on-orbit spares and six ground spares.
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For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.iridiumnext.com
For more information about Iridium Certus, please visit https://www.iridium.com/services/iridium-certus/
A symbol of strength, protection and security, the oak tree has a prominent presence in nature. With a wide canopy of leaves and deep, sprawling roots, the oak tree represents Iridium’s role in the satellite industry – a historic, growing and reliable network that enables critical services that keep the world safely connected through its vast partner ecosystem.
Every element of our Iridium-6 patch has a story and a deeper meaning. A detailed description of the patch is outlined below:
Curious about the meaning behind our previous launch patches? Click here for some past patch descriptions.
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Iridium Communications, in partnership with SpaceX, is prepared to launch five Iridium® NEXT satellites, along with the twin spacecraft for the NASA/German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission today, May 22. SpaceX will launch this unique “rideshare” on its Falcon 9 rocket and will deliver the two payloads to two separate orbits. Both payloads and the rocket have been transported to the launch pad, and the rocket is vertical for launch. The rocket has an instantaneous launch window scheduled for 12:47:58 pm PDT (19:47:58 UTC). Once deployed, there will be a total of 55 Iridium NEXT satellites in low earth orbit.
Iridium NEXT is the company’s $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. These new satellites are replacing the company’s existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely upon to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more. Iridium NEXT will enable and introduce new services like the Company’s next-generation broadband service, Iridium CertusSM.
A live feed of the launch will be available starting twenty minutes prior to launch at: www.spacex.com/webcast
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