With One Satellite To Spare, Iridium Counting on SpaceX To Keep Tempo

摘要

Mobile satellite services provider Iridium Communications lost the use of two more satellites in the three months ending Sept. 30 and is now down to a single in-orbit spare, a situation the company said is unlikely to cause service disruptions given the arrival of the second-generation system in 2015. Iridium's $3 billion Iridium Next constellation of low-orbiting satellites is scheduled to make its inaugural launch, of two satellites, in June aboard a Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr rocket from Russia's Yasny spaceport. The remaining launches will be aboard seven Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Falcon 9 rockets, each carrying 10 Iridium Next satellites. These launches are scheduled to start in late 2015 and to be completed by mid-2017.