I went to Vandenberg on Saturday & shot this video.
Everybody else took the feed.
• Iridium Communications Inc., is the only mobile satellite communications company that offers truly global voice and data communications coverage.
• Iridium’s low Earth orbit (LEO) cross-linked satellites form the world’s largest commercial satellite constellation, operating as a fully meshed network, covering the 80 percent of the globe not covered by terrestrial networks.
• The constellation is orbiting approximately 483 miles above Earth.
• Iridium (NASDAQ: IRDM) is headquartered in McLean, Va., with additional operational centers including the Primary Gateway Earth Station in Tempe, AZ, and the Satellite Network Operations Center (SNOC) in Leesburg, Va.
• A network replacement of this scale is unprecedented, making it the largest tech refresh in the space industry.
Iridium NEXT
• Iridium NEXT is Iridium’s next-generation global satellite constellation that will replace the current network.
• Iridium NEXT is a $3 billion investment. The company is building 81 satellites: 66 will serve as operational satellites. The remaining 15 satellites will serve as in-orbit and ground spares.
• Manufacturing & Assembly
o Iridium has partnered with Thales Alenia Space as the prime
contractor in developing the Iridium NEXT satellites.
o Thales Alenia Space has partnered with Orbital ATK as a sub-
contractor to assemble, test and integrate all 81 new Iridium NEXT
satellites, including the prime hosted payloads.
• Launch Schedule & Logistics
o The first launch is scheduled for January 14, 2017, with a back-up date
of January 15th, on SpaceX’s updated Falcon 9 rocket carrying the first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
o The subsequent six launches, which are also contracted with SpaceX, will be launching ten Iridium NEXT satellites at a time.
o The traditional Falcon 9 rocket was adjusted in order to accommodate larger payloads, like Iridium NEXT.
o The entire constellation is scheduled for completion in 2018. • Network Capabilities and Functionality
Once fully deployed, Iridium NEXT will enable greater data bandwidth and speeds that will dramatically enhance Iridium’s ability to meet the rapidly expanding needs of the industry on a global scale.
o Iridium NEXT will bring new innovations and solutions to the industry including, but not limited to:
• Iridium CertusSM, enabled by Iridium NEXT, will be a best-in- class, portfolio of communications solutions, that makes up a highly reliable, capable, flexible and global service that meets the connectivity needs of the many and vastly different markets that Iridium serves.
• Aireon LLC’s aircraft tracking and surveillance system will be hosted as an auxiliary payload on each Iridium NEXT satellite. The Iridium NEXT constellation is the only satellite network that can support truly global aircraft surveillance, which is critical to the AireonSM system. The solution is expected to be a fully operational by 2018.
14 янв 2017
