It’s official. SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Friday, delivering the final 10 Iridium Next satellites to low earth orbit. All have successfully communicated with the Iridium Satellite Network Operations Center. This was the eighth and final launch for Iridium, which included 75 new satellites deployed over the span of two years.
Iridium Completes Constellation Replacement
Key Takeaways:
- SpaceX completed the final launch for Iridium, deploying the last 10 Iridium Next satellites and concluding a two-year, eight-launch project to replace its entire constellation.
- Iridium invested $3 billion in this new, higher-bandwidth network, which will provide global voice, L-band broadband connectivity (Iridium Certus), and the Aireon aircraft surveillance system.
- The new constellation consists of 66 operational, crosslinked satellites across six polar orbiting planes, offering the only communications network with pole-to-pole coverage on Earth.
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