Iridium
Iridium would pay to deorbit its 30 defunct satellites — for the right price
Iridium Communications completed disposal of the last of its 65 working legacy satellites Dec. 28, while leaving open the possibility of paying an active-debris-removal company to deorbit 30 that failed in the decades since the operator deployed its first-generation constellation.
4.1 billion people online • Iridium completes $1.45 billion refinancing • SES exec to chair Space Data Association
An estimated 53.6% of the world’s population now has access to the internet, according to a new report from the International Telecommunication Union.
ST Engineering completes Newtec purchase • Azerspace-2 reaches 80% fill rate
Singapore Technologies Engineering said Oct. 1 it completed its acquisition of Belgian ground infrastructure provider Newtec.
LEO constellation operators OneWeb, Iridium announce collaboration
Iridium and OneWeb, two companies pursuing different types of telecommunications businesses from low Earth orbit, said Sept. 17 that they would work together on a combined service offering.
Iridium lands seven-year, $738.5 million Defense Department contract
Iridium said Sept. 16 that the new seven-year, $738.5 million contract ensures continuity for voice, data, broadcast and other services to Defense Department and associated users.
Telstra-NBN combo ruled out • Aireon launches free emergency service • Globalstar buys IP from supplier
Australia’s competition watchdog agency ruled out the idea of Telstra buying the National Broadband Network.
Starlink failures highlight space sustainability concerns
The failure of at least five percent of the first batch of SpaceX Starlink satellites has put a spotlight on the growing concerns that satellite megaconstellations could litter low Earth orbit with hundreds of dead satellites.
Iridium says DoD’s new unlimited service contract renewal nearly complete
Iridium CEO Matt Desch said April 23 the company expects to finalize a multi-year renewal of its Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) contract with the Defense Department in the next 30 days.
Iridium makes GMDSS progress • Kepler’s next cubesat to test new radiator • Scisys breaks ground in Germany
Iridium moved closer to launching an emergency maritime communications service by signing a public services agreement with the International Mobile Satellite Organization.
Aireon activates service, begins flight-tracking trials
Aircraft tracking company Aireon initiated service with its space-based sensor network April 2, starting global monitoring of aircraft location and velocity on a near real-time basis.
Iridium ends legacy satellite service, switches all traffic to Next fleet
“For the first time since the initial launch of the system over 20 years ago, zero traffic is going through the old satellites,” Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium, said Feb. 6 at the National Press Club here.
Aireon paying back Iridium with help from $200M loan
Aireon said it signed the credit facility Dec. 21, and that it used the new funds to pay satellite operator Iridium $35 million before the end of 2018 for hosting its sensor payloads on the Iridium Next constellation.
FIRST UP Satcom | Avio takes 10M euro loan • Iridium launches Certus • NanoAvionics opens UK office
Italian rocket builder Avio is borrowing 10 million euros from the European Investment Bank. The funds will support new space propulsion technologies for Europe’s next-generation Vega C and Ariane 6 launchers, the company said.
SpaceX completes Iridium Next constellation
SpaceX launched the final 10 Iridium Next satellites into orbit Jan. 11, completing its first mission of the year and last for its largest non-government customer, Iridium Communications.
Iridium open to rideshares for spare satellite launches
Iridium Communications is less than a week away from the final launch of its 75-satellite Iridium Next constellation, but could opt to launch six additional satellites if the right rideshare opportunity opens up, CEO Matt Desch said Jan. 3.
SpaceX’s final Iridium Next launch delayed to January
The new launch date, announced Dec. 7 by customer Iridium Communications, was driven by the additional two weeks SpaceX ended up needing to launch Spaceflight Industries’ “SmallSat Express” dedicated rideshare mission.
