Iridium Communications Inc. is a publicly traded American company that operates the Iridium satellite constellation, a system of 80 satellites in low Earth orbit. Iridium provides global voice and data communication services via handheld satellite phones, messaging devices, and integrated transceivers. The company partners with various organizations, including General Dynamics Mission Systems and SpaceX, and serves diverse sectors such as aviation, maritime, and government, offering services like the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The United Nations certified Iridium Communications to provide Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) services on 2020-05-21.
Aireon raised $69,000,000 from NATS to begin making hosting payments to Iridium Communications.
Iridium received a modest discount from SpaceX for using reused boosters but prioritized schedule certainty to maintain an 18-month to 24-month launch schedule.
SpaceX planned to use Iridium Communications’ satellite constellation to relay reentry data from the Falcon 9 upper stage.
The new debt raise enabled Iridium to pay Thales Alenia Space $45,000,000 in deferred payments related to Iridium Next.