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  • Iridium Taps SpaceX for Rideshare Launch of NEXT, NASA-GFZ Satellites; Matt Desch Comments - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Iridium Taps SpaceX for Rideshare Launch of NEXT, NASA-GFZ Satellites; Matt Desch Comments

    Iridium Communications has inked an agreement with SpaceX to launch additional communication satellites alongside the twin satellites of a collaborative mission between NASA and the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences. Iridium said Tuesday the launch of five Iridium NEXT satellites with the NASA/GFZ Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On payload aboard a Falcon 9 rocket in early 2018 is the company’s […] More

  • SpaceX Sets Jan. 8 Launch for Iridium NEXT Satellites - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    SpaceX Sets Jan. 8 Launch for Iridium NEXT Satellites

    SpaceX has said it plans to launch on Jan. 8 the first batch of satellites for Iridium Communications’ NEXT constellation after it determined the cause of the Sept. 1 explosion of the Falcon 9 rocket, the Washington Post reported Monday. Christian Davenport writes the Elon Musk-owned company found that the explosion was caused by a pressure vessel in the […] More

  • SpaceX Reschedules Iridium NEXT Satellite Constellation Launch to Early January - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    SpaceX Reschedules Iridium NEXT Satellite Constellation Launch to Early January

    SpaceX has moved the launch of the first batch of satellites for Iridium Communications’ NEXT constellation from mid-December to early January as the Elon Musk-owned company works to complete the investigation into the Sept. 1 explosion of its Falcon 9 rocket, Space.com reported Wednesday. Mike Wall writes Musk had previously announced plans to resume flights […] More

  • Iridium Sets Satellite Constellation NEXT Launch Date for Dec. 16; Matt Desch Comments - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Iridium Sets Satellite Constellation NEXT Launch Date for Dec. 16; Matt Desch Comments

    Iridium Communications has scheduled the launch of its next-generation global satellite constellation Iridium NEXT for Dec. 16 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will carry 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to low-Earth orbit to replace an existing commercial satellite network in space, Iridium said Thursday. The planned launch announcement follows […] More

  • Iridium Secures Follow-On DoD Satellite Network Support Contract - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Iridium Secures Follow-On DoD Satellite Network Support Contract

    Iridium Communications has been awarded a potential five-year, $45.8 million contract by the U.S. Navy to continue to provide communication services in support of the Defense Department‘s tactical, operational and strategic operations. DoD said Tuesday the follow-on contract has a base value of $8.7 million and covers satellite-based network services in the satellite, ground node, user equipment/terminal software and hardware development, integration […] More

  • Iridium to Launch First NEXT Satellite Batch in September; Matt Desch Comments - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Iridium to Launch First NEXT Satellite Batch in September; Matt Desch Comments

    Iridium Communications will launch the first line of its NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base on September 12. The company said Tuesday Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK have completed assembly, integration and testing of the 81 satellites on the assembly line, which includes 66 operational satellites to replace the current Iridium network. “After more than seven […] More

  • Iridium to Launch Satellite Broadband Service in Q2 2017; Matt Desch Comments - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Iridium to Launch Satellite Broadband Service in Q2 2017; Matt Desch Comments

    Iridium Communications will release a new satellite communications service offering for the government and enterprise sectors in the second quarter of 2017. The Certus service will be powered by Iridium’s NEXT satellite network and will work to deliver broadband connectivity to public and private sector customers as a standalone option or in conjunction with very small aperture terminals, Iridium said Tuesday. Iridium CEO Matt Desch said the […] More

  • Matt Desch: Iridium Releases Positioning, Navigation & Timing Tech Offering - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Matt Desch: Iridium Releases Positioning, Navigation & Timing Tech Offering

    Iridium Communications has introduced a technology platform the company designed to help users access satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing data in locations where GPS services are limited or unavailable. The Satellite Time and Location system will work to verify GPS, Galileo and Glonass navigation signals when deployed through Iridium’s constellation of cross-linked satellites in low-Earth orbit, the company said Monday. Matt Desch, Iridium CEO, […] More

  • Matt Desch: Iridium Mulls Satellite to Track Aircraft GPS Transponder Following EgyptAir Crash - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Matt Desch: Iridium Mulls Satellite to Track Aircraft GPS Transponder Following EgyptAir Crash

    Iridium Communications eyes the possibility of launching by 2018 a satellite system that monitors an aircraft’s global positioning system transponder to help broadcast flight information in real time, CBS News reported Friday. “A global surveillance system can track that airplane down to the second and help you find it very quickly,” Iridium CEO Matt Desch told the news station. Existing systems […] More

  • Space News: Iridium NEXT Constellation on Pace for July Launch - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Space News: Iridium NEXT Constellation on Pace for July Launch

    Iridium Communications remains on schedule to launch the first 10 satellites of the Iridium NEXT constellation in July aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Space News reported Friday. Peter de Selding writes the initial launch date may change by a few weeks based on SpaceX’s availability and will be followed by six sets of 10 satellites that are expected to […] More

  • Federal Sales Vet Jackson Kemper Joins Tresys as Business Dev't & Sales SVP - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Federal Sales Vet Jackson Kemper Joins Tresys as Business Dev’t & Sales SVP

    Tresys Technology has named federal sales professional Jackson Kemper III as senior vice president of business development and sales. Kemper will lead a team of sales directors to drive commercial and federal sales activity, Tresys said Thursday. “Jackson’s sales knowledge and network of government customer relationships will be a great asset to our customers as well as to our organization,” said Tresys CEO […] More

  • Iridium Seeks to Provide Maritime Safety Comms Through IMO Recognition Process - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Iridium Seeks to Provide Maritime Safety Comms Through IMO Recognition Process

    The International Maritime Organization has issued a report that details requirements for Iridium Communications to address in order for the company to be recognized as a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System mobile satellite services provider. IMO’s navigation, communication and search-and-rescue subcommittee released the report after it evaluated Iridium as a potential GMDSS service provider, Iridium […] More