Iridium May Add to ISC Kosmotras Manifest by End of Month

摘要

Mobile satellite services provider Iridium Communications has until March 31 to notify ISC Kosmotras of Moscow on whether Iridium will be exercising options to launch more than once with the Russian-Ukrainian company, according to Iridium. McLean, Va.-based Iridium is less than two years away from the first launch of its Iridium Next second-generation constellation of low-orbiting satellites. In a March 6 presentation to investors, Iridium Chief Executive Matthew J. Desch said prime contractor Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy is about two months ahead of schedule on the 81-satellite program, and that the first batch will be ready for launch in February 2015.