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Iridium

completedLaunch 1997-030
Launched 6/18/1997LEOService GSat LEO OO 1
Admin Edit
Payloads
Assets deployed on this mission, enriched from spacecraft records.
7 payloads
Iridium 10
retired
Communications
LEO
Iridium
Iridium 11
retired
CommunicationsLEOIridium
Iridium 12
retired
CommunicationsLEOIridium
Iridium 13
retired
CommunicationsLEOIridium
Iridium 14
retired
CommunicationsLEOIridium
Iridium 16
retired
CommunicationsLEOIridium
Iridium 9
retired
CommunicationsLEOIridium
Launch Details
Launch Date
6/18/1997
Launch ID
1997-030
Launch Profile
Sat LEO OO 1
Service Type
G
Customer Type
C
Orbit
LEO
Launch Stack
Operator
Khrunichev State Research and Production Center
Launch Vehicle
Proton-K
Launch Site
PU23, Ploshchadka 81L, GIK-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan
Payload Summary
Payload Count
7
Constellations
1
Payload Status
retired 7
Payload Mission Types
Communications 7
Track
Mentions
748
All verified mentions of this mission in source documents.

Since completion of the upgraded Iridium network in early 2019, Iridium’s customer base grew by more than 730,000 subscribers in three years.

GrowthFinancialCapabilityValue 4.0Sep 9, 2022Iridium announces their 9th SpaceX launch to occur in mid-2023

Iridium’s first launch in company history took place from Vandenberg on 1997-05-05.

PlanGeneralValue 3.0Sep 9, 2022Iridium announces their 9th SpaceX launch to occur in mid-2023

All satellites in the upgraded Iridium constellation were built by Thales Alenia Space.

CapabilityRelationshipsValue 3.5Sep 9, 2022Iridium announces their 9th SpaceX launch to occur in mid-2023

SpaceX’s eight Iridium launches between January 2017 and January 2019 delivered 75 satellites to low Earth orbit as part of the Iridium NEXT campaign.

RelationshipsPlanCapabilityValue 4.0Sep 9, 2022Iridium announces their 9th SpaceX launch to occur in mid-2023

The Federal Communications Commission authorized Ligado Networks in 2020 to develop a 0.005 kg cellular service by repurposing a portion of L-band radio spectrum adjacent to GPS and Iridium bands.

LegalCapabilityValue 4.5Sep 9, 2022Report: Ligado’s wireless network will interfere with Iridium and some GPS services

The five satellites covered by Iridium’s new $35,000,000 launch contract will not be launched by Relativity.

RelationshipsFinancialValue 4.0Sep 9, 2022SpaceX to launch five spare Iridium satellites

Iridium signed a 2020 contract with Relativity Space to launch up to six ground spares on Relativity’s Terran 1 rocket.

RelationshipsPlanValue 4.5Sep 9, 2022SpaceX to launch five spare Iridium satellites

Iridium’s second quarter earnings release on 2022-07-26 announced a contract for the launch of five satellites for $35,000,000.

RelationshipsFinancialPlanValue 4.0Sep 9, 2022SpaceX to launch five spare Iridium satellites

Iridium will launch five of its remaining six ground spare satellites on a Falcon 9 rideshare mission in 2023.

PlanValue 4.0Sep 9, 2022SpaceX to launch five spare Iridium satellites

Jan De Nul Group plans to roll out Iridium GMDSS in all retrofits and newly built vessels.

PlanCapabilityGrowthValue 4.0Sep 5, 2022Iridium’s Global Maritime Distress + Safety System incorporated into dredging fleet

Iridium GMDSS provides global coverage, including Arctic and Antarctic waters, via L-band satellite connectivity.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Sep 5, 2022Iridium’s Global Maritime Distress + Safety System incorporated into dredging fleet

Iridium Communications completed a generational upgrade of its satellite network in 2019 and launched the specialty broadband service Iridium Certus.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Sep 5, 2022Iridium’s Global Maritime Distress + Safety System incorporated into dredging fleet

The HXDC1600-SAA family of Iridium antennas are specifically tuned for the Iridium network within the frequency range of 1,616 to 1,626 MHz.

CapabilityValue 4.5Aug 28, 2022Helix Geospace’s UK grant funding to provide accurate, resilient GNSS solution in GNSS-denied environments

Relativity announced customers for Terran 1 including Iridium and Telesat.

RelationshipsValue 4.0Aug 19, 2022Big plans for mini-launchers

Iridium’s June 2020 contract with Relativity included up to six Terran 1 launches each carrying a single spare satellite currently in ground storage.

RelationshipsPlanValue 4.0Aug 19, 2022Big plans for mini-launchers

Iridium signed a 2022-07-26 contract with an unnamed launch provider to launch five spare satellites next year for $35 million, and Iridium’s contract with Relativity remained in effect with one spare left to launch on Terran 1.

RelationshipsFinancialPlanValue 5.0Aug 19, 2022Big plans for mini-launchers

Orbital Insight integrates electro-optical, synthetic aperture radar, and RF monitoring satellite data into its platform and ingests vessel traffic data from AIS and air traffic data from ADS-B hosted on Iridium satellites.

CapabilityRelationshipsGeneralValue 4.6Aug 17, 2022Commercial geospatial technologies that detect GPS disruptions to be tested in military exercises

The SDL-700 utilizes Iridium Certus broadband connectivity to provide up to 704 Kbps of bandwidth.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Aug 7, 2022Iridium partner SKYTRAC SATCOM selected for French light helicopter armed forces program

The H160M helicopters delivered by Airbus Helicopters for the HIL program will be factory-equipped with SKYTRAC’s Iridium Certus Connected SDL-700 multifunctional system.

RelationshipsCapabilityValue 4.5Aug 7, 2022Iridium partner SKYTRAC SATCOM selected for French light helicopter armed forces program

Iridium Certus 100 leverages Iridium’s upgraded constellation to provide midband satcom services tailored to the general aviation pilot community.

CapabilityValue 4.0Jul 27, 2022SKYTRAC Introduces Optimized Iridium Certus 100 Solution for General Aviation
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