Kara Leibin Azocar leads global regulatory affairs and public policy initiatives at Iridium.
The SIA Board of Directors elected Kara Leibin Azocar of Iridium as Treasurer for 2026.
The integrated system will be marketed as 'Iridium Connected Hi MATE' and aims to enhance real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and remote troubleshooting.
Iridium's low-latency connectivity enhances the reliability of Hi MATE for HD Hyundai Construction Equipment.
Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) provides unmatched global coverage for Hyundai's customers.
Iridium operates a low Earth orbit constellation designed to provide global coverage for voice and data links, supporting situational awareness and asset tracking in remote or harsh environments.
Iridium's satellite network provides global voice, data, and positioning, navigation, and timing services intended to support mission-critical communications for military users under a wide range of environmental conditions.
SITH is the latest of three core EMSS agreements between Iridium and the US Space Force, alongside the EMSS Airtime Contract and the Capabilities and Security Sustainment Services Contract awarded in April 2024.
SITH follows the Gateway Evolution Contract awarded to Iridium in 2019, extending work on core ground infrastructure that supports Department of Defense use of the Iridium network.
The U.S. Space Force depends on Iridium for specific capabilities unmatched by other providers.
Iridium satellites and their pole-to-pole orbit provide 100% Earth coverage, unlike GEO satellites that have limited coverage at extreme latitudes.
Iridium satellites feature inter-satellite cross-links, allowing them to route traffic between satellites before sending it to a ground station.
The ECS3 contract focuses on sustaining the USSF's Iridium infrastructure, including daily operations, maintenance, and security sustainment.
The Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services Capabilities and Security Sustainment Services contract was awarded to Iridium in April 2024.
On December 2, 2025, Iridium was awarded the System Infrastructure Transformation and Hybridization contract.
The signal travel time for Iridium satellites in Low Earth Orbit is significantly shorter than for GEO satellites.
Iridium indicates that the award reflects a broader trend of the military relying on industry for resilient satellite communications.
The U.S. Space Force awarded Iridium an infrastructure transformation contract worth up to $85.8 million for lifecycle upgrades to the Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) service center.
The SITH contract is one of three core contracts between Iridium and the Space Force for EMSS.
The SITH contract follows the Gateway Evolution contract that Iridium received in 2019.