Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today the
successful launch of its first ten Iridium NEXT satellites. The
satellites were delivered into low-Earth orbit approximately one
hour after the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California at 9:54:39 a.m. PST. Iridium NEXT is
the company’s next-generation satellite constellation, replacing
and enhancing its existing network of low-Earth orbit satellites
spanning the entire globe – the largest commercial satellite
constellation in space.
This is the start of a series of Iridium NEXT launches scheduled
over the next 18 months, and marks the beginning of one of the
biggest “tech refreshes” in history, completely replacing the only
satellite constellation providing 100-percent truly global
communications coverage. Once fully deployed, Iridium NEXT
will enable a new broadband multi-service capability called Iridium
CertusSM, while providing the technical flexibility to support
innovative new services and technologies from Iridium’s extensive
partner network. Among those technologies is a unique hosted
payload from Iridium’s partner Aireon, which will provide a
real-time global aircraft surveillance service, extending aircraft
visibility across the planet.
The first ten Iridium NEXT satellites were delivered to a 625
kilometer (km) temporary parking orbit where they will be tested
and exercised by Iridium over the coming weeks. Upon meeting
testing and validation requirements, the satellites will then be
moved into their 780km operational orbit and begin providing
service to Iridium’s customers. One-by-one, the new
satellites will be positioned near a current generation satellite,
each moving at approximately 17,000 miles per hour as testing
begins. Iridium’s unique inter-satellite communication links from
nearby satellites will be repositioned to point to the new Iridium
NEXT satellite as it prepares to take over service. Existing
satellites will eventually be de-boosted and de-orbited.
“Today Iridium launches a new era in the history of our company
and a new era in space as we start to deliver the next-generation
of satellite communications,” said Matt Desch, chief executive
officer of Iridium. “We have been working endless hours for the
last eight years to get to this day, and to finally be here with
ten Iridium NEXT satellites successfully launched into low-Earth
orbit is a fulfilling moment. We are incredibly thankful for
all of the hard work from our team, as well as our partners, to
help us achieve this milestone.”
Both Thales Alenia Space, System Prime Contractor for the
program, and their subcontractor for production, Orbital ATK, have
been integral in the development of the Iridium NEXT program, from
the design and manufacturing of the Iridium NEXT satellite vehicles
to managing an 18-station, state-of-the-art assembly line
production system.
“Leading a worldwide team to manufacture, assemble, test and
prepare each satellite for this moment has been incredibly
exciting,” said Bertrand Maureau, executive vice president of
telecommunications at Thales Alenia Space. “We are very proud
to have conducted such a unique program, in terms of scale and
complexity as well as to have successfully completed the end-to-end
whole constellation on-ground validation. The system is fully
tested, and the compatibility of Iridium NEXT with the Block-1
operating satellites has been perfectly demonstrated. It has truly
been an honor, and we are looking forward to completing the rest of
the Iridium NEXT constellation through 2017 and early 2018.”
“We are proud to be a part of this revolutionary satellite
program,” said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK’s Space
Systems Group. “Seeing these first ten satellites launch
successfully into space is the result of a unique assembly-line
process at our satellite manufacturing facility that represents a
remarkable achievement. We look forward to seeing the innovative
solutions these satellites, which are great examples of
leading-edge technology and manufacturability, will enable.”
In addition to partnering with Thales Alenia Space as System
Prime Contractor, Iridium has partnered with SpaceX for the launch
of 70 Iridium NEXT satellites on its Falcon 9 rocket.
“We are very proud to be chosen as the launch provider for the
entire Iridium NEXT program and are excited about today’s
successful first launch,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President of
SpaceX. “Iridium was one of SpaceX’s first customers, and working
alongside them to deliver one of the largest aerospace projects
underway is an exciting moment for us at SpaceX.”
Iridium and SpaceX are partnered for a series of seven launches,
deploying ten Iridium NEXT satellites at a time. The next major
milestone will be the completion of on-orbit testing of these
satellites, to validate performance requirements are met. The
second Iridium NEXT launch will be scheduled after this testing is
completed, in April. The entire Iridium NEXT network is scheduled
to be completed by mid-2018. For more information about Iridium
NEXT, please visit www.iridium.com.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium® is the only mobile voice and data satellite
communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables
connections between people, organizations and assets to and from
anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner
companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of
reliable solutions for markets that require truly global
communications. The company has a major development program
underway for its next-generation network — Iridium NEXT. Iridium
Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and
its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under
the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium
products, services and partner solutions,
visit www.iridium.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical
facts may constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has
based these statements on its current expectations and the
information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements
in this presentation include statements regarding the timing for
deployment, development and capabilities of the Iridium NEXT
constellation and services to be offered over the constellation,
including Iridium Certus and AireonSM. Forward-looking statements
can be identified by the words “anticipates,” “may,” “can,”
“believes,” “expects,” “projects,” “intends,” “likely,” “will,” “to
be” and other expressions that are predictions or indicate future
events, trends or prospects. These forward-looking statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
Iridium to differ materially from any future results, performance
or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not
limited to, uncertainties regarding potential delays in the Iridium
NEXT deployment, the development and functionality of Iridium NEXT
and related services, and the company’s ability to maintain the
health, capacity and content of its satellite constellation, as
well as general industry and economic conditions, and competitive,
legal, governmental and technological factors. Other factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those
indicated by the forward-looking statements include those factors
listed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 25, 2016, as well as
other filings Iridium makes with the SEC from time to time. There
is no assurance that Iridium’s expectations will be realized. If
one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if
Iridium's underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results
may vary materially from those expected, estimated or projected.
Iridium's forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of
this press release, and Iridium undertakes no obligation to update
forward-looking statements.
Press Contact:
Diane Hockenberry
Iridium Communications Inc.
+1 (703) 287-7421
Diane.hockenberry@iridium.com
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