SEAKR Engineering, Inc., a privately held company, today announced that Thales Alenia Space (TAS), the Iridium NEXT prime contractor, has awarded the communication processor for the Iridium NEXT constellation to SEAKR Engineering. The Iridium NEXT constellation will ultimately replace the existing Iridium constellation providing enhanced mobile satellite communication services worldwide, with the first Iridium NEXT satellite launches scheduled for the first quarter of 2015.
The communication processor plays the critical role in the Iridium NEXT constellation of providing MOD/DEMOD for the user RF links, the satellite-to-satellite cross links, and the satellite-to-gateway links on Earth. It is also responsible for managing the network and routing user traffic. The processor will support existing waveforms to provide a seamless replacement of the existing constellation while also providing advanced capabilities to improve speed, bandwidth, and flexibility.
The scalability and flexibility of the Iridium NEXT communication processor will also have the potential for new applications beyond voice communications and is being developed with government and commercial cooperative relationships in mind which could leverage Iridium’s unique constellation architecture.
“SEAKR has quietly invested significant research and development resources in high performance processing solutions for spacecraft applications. This win for the Iridium NEXT processor firmly establishes SEAKR as a leader in this exciting field,” states Scott Anderson, one of SEAKR’s owners. “SEAKR is extremely proud to be a part of the Thales Alenia Space and Iridium team and to help them set the standard for mobile satellite communication services.”
About SEAKR Engineering
SEAKR Engineering (www.SEAKR.com) is a world-leading provider of advanced state-of-the-art electronic avionics for space applications. Since its inception in 1982, SEAKR has delivered some of the most sophisticated solutions in the industry on-time and on-budget. More than eighty of these units have launched with all having met or exceeded mission objectives. SEAKR’s leading edge space avionics include IP routers as well as software-defined radios, high-performance payload processors, modular spacecraft avionics, and solid state recorders. Contact: Dave Jungkind, (303) 790-8499, dave.jungkind@seakr.com.
About Thales Alenia Space
European leader in satellite systems and a major player in orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio embody the two groups’ “Space Alliance”. Thales Alenia Space sets the global standard in solutions for space telecoms, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. The company, which achieved revenues of Euro 2 billion in 2009, has a total of 7,200 employees located in 9 industrial sites in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium. www.thalesaleniaspace.com
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium Communications Inc. (www.iridium.com) is the only mobile satellite service (MSS) company offering coverage over the entire globe. The Iridium constellation of low-earth orbiting (LEO) cross-linked satellites provides critical voice and data services for areas not served by terrestrial communication networks. Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of distributors, and provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. and international government agencies. The Company’s customers represent a broad spectrum of industry, including maritime, aeronautical, government/defense, public safety, utilities, oil/gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation. Iridium has launched a major development program for its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. The company is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A. and trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbols IRDM (common stock), IRDMW ($7.00 warrants), IRDMZ ($11.50 warrants) and IRDMU (units).
