Iridium Announces Target Date for Second Launch of Iridium NEXT
February 15 2017 - 7:30AM
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) announced it has received
a targeted launch date of mid-June for the second mission of ten
Iridium NEXT satellites. Originally anticipated for mid-April
of 2017, the date has shifted due to a backlog in SpaceX’s launch
manifest as a result of last year’s September 1st anomaly.
This second launch will deliver another ten Iridium NEXT satellites
to low-Earth-orbit (LEO) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX
is targeting six subsequent Iridium NEXT launches approximately
every two months thereafter.
“After such a successful first launch, we are
eager to maintain the momentum until our network is completed,”
said Matt Desch, chief executive officer at Iridium. “Even with
this eight week shift, SpaceX’s targeted schedule completes our
constellation in mid-2018.”
This announcement comes as Iridium has
successfully connected the first Iridium NEXT satellite via its
crosslinks into its global LEO constellation. The new
satellite is expected to begin providing service to Iridium
customers in the coming days. This marks a major milestone
for the Iridium NEXT program as the testing and validation phase is
ahead of schedule and the satellites are working well.
“Our team at our Satellite Network Operations
Center has been working around-the-clock to confirm the health and
performance of these new satellites,” said Scott Smith, chief
operating officer at Iridium. “Since their perfect orbit injection
and deployment by SpaceX, our satellite testing process has
progressed ahead of schedule, a testament to the rigorous
development program they’ve undergone on the ground.”
The upcoming mid-June launch will mark the
second mission of eight Iridium NEXT launches with SpaceX,
including the recently announced satellite rideshare with NASA and
GFZ’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on mission
(GRACE-FO). In total, Iridium currently has plans to launch 75
Iridium NEXT satellites – 66 to serve as operational satellites and
nine as on-orbit spares.
For additional information about Iridium NEXT,
please go to www.iridiumnext.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 launch, deployment, development and capabilities of
individual Iridium NEXT satellites and the Iridium NEXT
constellation. 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 launch
and 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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