Second set of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit

June 27, 2017 - By GPS World Staff

The second set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, launched June 25 by SpaceX, are functioning nominally and have begun the testing and validation process.

The batch of 10 satellites was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, increasing the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 20.

“We are thrilled with yesterday’s success,” said Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Iridium. “These new satellites are functioning well, and we are pressing forward with the testing process.”

“Since the last launch, the team at our Satellite Network Operations Center has been anxiously awaiting this new batch of satellites. There is a lot of work to do, and we are up for the challenge,” he said.

Now, and for approximately the next 45 days, the newly launched satellites will undergo a series of testing and validation procedures, ensuring they are ready for integration with the operational constellation.

Once testing is completed, Iridium will also hand over control of Aireon’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast hosted payload, to the team at Aireon’s Hosted Payload Operations Center, in Leesburg, Virginia.