Iridium-8 is Vertical for Launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base
Iridium Communications, in partnership with SpaceX, is prepared to launch the final 10 Iridium® NEXT satellites tomorrow, January 11th. SpaceX will launch the eighth set of new satellites on a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket destined for low Earth orbit. The payload and the rocket have been transported to the launch pad, and the rocket is vertical for launch. The rocket has an instantaneous launch window scheduled for 7:31 am PST (15:31 UTC).
Iridium NEXT is the company’s $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in early 2019. These new satellites are replacing the company’s existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely upon to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more. Iridium NEXT will enable and introduce new services like the company’s next-generation broadband service, Iridium CertusSM, and hosts the AireonSM real-time aircraft surveillance and tracking service.
Want to watch the launch live? Tune into the SpaceX webcast at www.spacex.com/webcast for a live feed of Iridium-8 starting 15 minutes prior to liftoff! And don’t forget to follow along with our Ultimate Launch Soundtrack on Spotify!
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.
