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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.

The FCC dismissed Iridium’s request to revise the Big LEO plan.

LegalGeneralValue 3.5Apr 24, 2026FCC Rejects Requests for Sharing in MSS Spectrum, Maintaining Exclusive Rights

Iridium reiterated full-year 2026 guidance for flat to 2% service revenue growth.

FinancialGrowthValue 4.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium’s commercial broadband revenue fell 5% year over year to $12.2 million in the first quarter of 2026.

FinancialValue 4.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium’s satellite network includes 66 satellites in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 485 miles.

CapabilityValue 4.5Apr 23, 2026Iridium’s PNT ASIC on the market in July; company weighing new satellites to boost positioning accuracy for GNSS backup

Iridium’s IoT data revenue was $46 million in the first quarter of 2026, up 5% year over year.

FinancialValue 4.6Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium’s first-quarter 2026 revenue was $219.1 million.

FinancialValue 5.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium plans to continue focusing on IoT expansion, PNT capabilities, national security, and aviation systems.

PlanGeneralValue 2.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium’s first-quarter 2026 equipment sales and engineering revenue was $61 million.

FinancialGeneralValue 4.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium reported a 2% year-over-year revenue increase in the first quarter of 2026.

FinancialValue 4.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium’s net income was $21.6 million in the first quarter of 2026, compared with $30.4 million in the same quarter of 2025.

FinancialValue 5.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium’s first-quarter 2026 service revenue was $158 million.

FinancialValue 5.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium is conducting live over-the-air tests of Iridium NTN Direct ahead of a full commercial launch later in 2026.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium NTN Direct is a narrow-band satellite IoT service that operates on 3GPP standards.

CapabilityValue 3.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium added 18,000 total subscribers in the first quarter of 2026 and ended the quarter with 2,434,000 commercial subscribers.

FinancialGrowthValue 4.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium’s full commercial launch of NTN Direct is expected later in 2026.

PlanGrowthValue 4.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

IoT subscribers accounted for 83% of Iridium’s subscribers in the first quarter of 2026.

FinancialValue 3.6Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium NTN Direct is intended to complement direct-to-device services from SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile, and Amazon Leo.

GeneralValue 2.0Apr 23, 2026Iridium Continues IoT Subscriber Growth in Q1, Desch Talks NTN Direct Launch and Spectrum

Iridium’s adjacent 1618-1626 MHz allocation is viewed as a potential target for additional L-band spectrum.

LegalValue 2.6Apr 18, 2026Amazon+Globalstar. Turbocharging the industry

Globalstar’s spectrum includes 8.725 MHz of L-band, a 0.95 MHz sliver shared with Iridium, and 16.5 MHz of S-band.

CapabilityValue 4.5Apr 18, 2026Amazon+Globalstar. Turbocharging the industry

Iridium is positioning its PNT signal as a foundational layer for identity management.

GeneralValue 1.8Apr 16, 2026Iridium Unveils Role in Artemis II and Next-Gen PNT at Space Symposium 2026
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