Items tagged with Iridium
All eyes were on SpaceX yesterday as the private space firm attempted to return to flight following a high-profile explosion in September. The September incident saw a Falcon 9 rocket explode while being fueled on the launch pad, burning Facebook’s first satellite project to a crisp. However, the space gods were definitely with SpaceX yesterday, as the Falcon 9 successfully put 10 Iridium satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO). This was the first of a seven-launch contract that SpaceX has with Iridium to deploy a “constellation” of at least 70 satellites into LEO, forming the Iridium Next network. Not only did SpaceX complete its primary mission for Iridium, but its secondary goal of successfully...
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“Iridium GO! is unlike anything the world has seen before,” reads the bold proclamation on the Iridium website. “Powered by the world's furthest reaching network, this compact, rugged and portable unit creates the first ever reliable global connection for voice and data communications on up to 5 smartphones, laptops or tablets.” The device looks a bit unconventional--a boxy little thing with a stubby antenna that pops up--which is commensurate with what it offers, which is global Internet access. The device relies on satellites for connectivity and grants users voice calls, apps, two-way SMS, GPS tracking, and SOS alert functionality via what amounts to a mobile hotspot....
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Two large communications satellites, one American and one Russian, collided in space 490 miles over Siberia, NASA reported Wednesday. The collision involved an Iridium commercial satellite, launched in 1997, and a Russian satellite, Cosmos 2251, which was launched in 1993 and believed to be non-functioning.The Iridium satellite weighed 1,234 pounds, and the Russian craft weighed 1,984 pounds. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Les Kodlick of the U.S. Strategic Command said: "We believe it's the first time that two satellites have collided in orbit."Previous collisions have apparently involved pieces and parts. Meanwhile, Mark Matney, an orbital debris scientist at Johnson Space Center in Houston, said:...
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