Orbcomm Ready To Ship 8 Sats for Fall Launch on Upgraded Falcon 9

摘要

Satellite machine-to-machine (M2M) messaging service provider Orbcomm said the launch of the first eight of its second-generation satellites is likely to occur this fall after its launch services provider, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), conducts the first two flights of the new Falcon 9 rocket. The launch, which has been delayed repeatedly, will better position Orbcomm in the competition with exactEarth, majority-owned by Canada's Com Dev, to line up customers for a global automatic identification system (AIS) maritime surveillance service for coastal authorities. In a May 9 conference call with investors, Orbcomm Chief Executive Marc J. Eisenberg said Rochelle Park, N.J.-based Orbcomm generated $700,000 in AIS revenue in the three months ending March 31, a period during which it signed four new AIS contracts and issued 13 new AIS-related licenses. That is more than double the AIS revenue from a year ago. Eisenberg said he expects AIS revenue to reach $800,000 for the three months ending June 30.