Iridium Announces Date for First Iridium NEXT Launch
December 01 2016 - 7:30AM
Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today the date
for the first launch of its next-generation global satellite
constellation, Iridium NEXT. Iridium will be launching on
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on December 16, 2016 at 12:36 p.m. PST.
Launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Falcon
9 rocket will deliver 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into low-earth
orbit.
This launch is contingent upon the FAA’s approval of SpaceX’s
return to flight following the anomaly that occurred on September
1, 2016 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The
investigation has been conducted with FAA oversight. Iridium
expects to be SpaceX’s first return to flight launch customer.
“We’re excited to launch the first batch of our new satellite
constellation. We have remained confident in SpaceX’s ability
as a launch partner throughout the Falcon 9 investigation,” said
Matt Desch, chief executive officer at Iridium. “We are grateful
for their transparency and hard work to plan for their return to
flight. We are looking forward to the inaugural launch of
Iridium NEXT, and what will begin a new chapter in our
history.”
Iridium NEXT will replace the world’s largest commercial
satellite network of low-earth orbit satellites in what will be one
of the largest “tech upgrades” in history. Iridium has partnered
with Thales Alenia Space for the manufacturing, assembly and
testing of 81 Iridium NEXT satellites, at least 70 of which will be
launched by SpaceX. The process of replacing the satellites
one-by-one in a constellation of this size and scale has never been
completed before.
“We are looking forward to return to flight with the first
Iridium NEXT launch,” said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief
operating officer of SpaceX. “Iridium has been a great partner for
nearly a decade, and we appreciate their working with us to put
their first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit.”
Iridium NEXT will enable the development of new and innovative
products and solutions across Iridium’s vast partner ecosystem.
Additionally, Iridium CertusSM, Iridium’s next-generation
multi-service communications platform enabled by Iridium NEXT, will
deliver faster speeds and higher throughputs across multiple
industry verticals. A service of this quality and value is
unprecedented in the industry, and is poised to disrupt the current
market status quo. Currently, the service is set to be
commercially available in 2017 and is undergoing testing on
Iridium’s existing network.
Iridium’s primary launch campaign consists of seven SpaceX
Falcon 9 launches, deploying ten Iridium NEXT satellites at a time.
These 70 Iridium NEXT satellites are scheduled to be deployed by
early 2018. For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit
www.iridium.com.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium® is the only mobile voice and data satellite
communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables
connections between people, organizations and assets to and from
anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner
companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of
reliable solutions for markets that require truly global
communications. The company has a major development program
underway for its next-generation network — Iridium NEXT. Iridium
Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and
its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under
the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium
products, services and partner solutions,
visit www.iridium.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical
facts may constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has
based these statements on its current expectations and the
information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements
in this presentation include statements regarding the timing for
deployment, development and capabilities of the Iridium NEXT
constellation and services to be offered over the constellation,
including Iridium Certus. Forward-looking statements can be
identified by the words “anticipates,” “may,” “can,” “believes,”
“expects,” “projects,” “intends,” “likely,” “will,” “to be” and
other expressions that are predictions or indicate future events,
trends or prospects. These forward-looking statements involve known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
the actual results, performance or achievements of Iridium to
differ materially from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not
limited to, uncertainties regarding potential delays in the Iridium
NEXT deployment, the development and functionality of Iridium NEXT
and related services, including Iridium Certus, and the company’s
ability to maintain the health, capacity and content of its
satellite constellation, as well as general industry and economic
conditions, and competitive, legal, governmental and technological
factors. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements
include those factors listed under the caption “Risk Factors” in
the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February
25, 2016, as well as other filings Iridium makes with the SEC from
time to time. There is no assurance that Iridium’s expectations
will be realized. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties
materialize, or if Iridium's underlying assumptions prove
incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected,
estimated or projected. Iridium's forward-looking statements speak
only as of the date of this press release, and Iridium undertakes
no obligation to update forward-looking statements.
Press Contact:
Diane Hockenberry
Iridium Communications Inc.
+1 (703) 287-7421
diane.hockenberry@iridium.com
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