A fifth batch of 10 Iridium Communications satellites entered testing and validation phase shortly after the latest set in the company’s NEXT constellation launched into space. Friday’s launch increased the number of NEXT satellites in orbit to 50 and marked the second use of SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 first-stage booster, Iridium said Tuesday. “I’m beyond proud of our team at the Satellite […] More

Iridium Communications has started the testing and validation phase for the fourth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites that launched Friday aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Iridium, said in a statement published Wednesday the company’s team at the satellite network operations center started to conduct initial diagnostics minutes after the […] More

Lockheed Martin has awarded a a five-year, $300 million contract to a Reliance Steel & Aluminum subsidiary to produce aluminum flat rolled materials for the F-35 fighter jet. Brentwood, Tennessee-based AMI Metals will supply aluminum plates to Lockheed partner and subcontractor facilities for F-35, Reliance Steel said Monday. AMI Metals will build the materials between Jan. 1, 2017 and Dec. 31, 2021. “AMI […] More

Iridium Communications has moved closer to the launch of the Iridium Next satellite network after the completion of the Compact Antenna Test Range test phase for the satellite constellation. The company said Wednesday it conducted the CATR test to evaluate the functionality of feeder link, crosslink and mission antennas of the satellites through a radiated environment. “The CATR testing ensures […] More

Iridium Communications has completed the integration of communication and surveillance payloads with the Iridium NEXT satellite. The company said Monday it will send the satellite with the integrated Aireon-hosted tracking payload for aircraft surveillance to Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France for final qualification testing. The integrated module is part of the 66 low-Earth orbit satellites that will […] More

Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Iridium Communications, has added an additional role as a part-time operating partner for private equity firm Bessemer Venture Partners. He will work to help Bessemer advise clients in the space technology sector while retaining his role at Iridium, Bessemer Venture Partners said Monday. Smith previously served as COO at DigitalGlobe and as […] More

Iridium Communications has completed the initial test phase on the primary functions of the Thales Alenia Space-developed Iridium NEXT platform software ahead of the first satellite launch this year. Iridium said Tuesday this testing phase is the first of a series of tests on the platform software’s systems integration and other functions to check Iridium NEXT’s operational autonomy. “Completion […] More

Iridium Communications has completed a series qualification tests on a new design Spectrolab and Mitsubishi Electric developed for the solar panel arrays that will be fitted to the Iridium NEXT satellites. Iridium said Tuesday the design consists of four panels that span approximately 30 feet and generate at least 2 kilowatts of power via triple-junction solar cells. Scott Smith, Iridium chief operating […] More

Iridium Communications worked with Boeing and L-3 Communications to build the system control segment for Iridium’s NEXT satellite and a facility for managing after-launch and early-orbit satellite operations. The NEXT control segment is designed with L-3 Telemetry-West‘s InControl software that will work to manage command and control of the satellite constellation, Iridium said Wednesday. Boeing […] More

Iridium Communications will conduct compatibility tests on the first satellite engineering model for the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation following its delivery to the company’s technical support center. The company said Monday the model will be integrated into the Iridium Satellite Control System to demonstrate its features and check its compatibility with the constellation. “We are very excited about […] More

Iridium Communications has selected a Radisys telecommunication-grade appliance to manage ground system applications for Iridium’s NEXT satellite constellation. Radisys’ T-Series virtualized platform will work to help Iridium run multiple operational support apps on the satellite operator’s ground infrastructure, Radisys said Wednesday. The system is built with an advanced telecommunications computing architecture, silicon technology and open-source […] More

Iridium Communications is set to produce antennas for the NEXT constellation in large volumes following completion of the first five flight main mission antennas. Thales Alenia Space built the antennas to handle the transmission of data between Iridium customer devices, Iridium Communications said Monday. “The main mission antennas are a critical component of each satellite, and […] More