Canada Satellite Blog

Iridium Communications announced today that the second set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, launched yesterday by SpaceX, are functioning nominally and have begun the testing and validation process. This batch of 10 satellites was launched out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, increasing the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 20.

Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM), the only communications company with 100 percent global coverage, today officially launched Iridium EdgeTM, its new, cost-effective global asset tracking, safety and fleet management device. A plug-and-play designed solution, Iridium Edge enables companies of all sizes to rapidly expand their IoT applications beyond cellular coverage. With over 80 percent of the earth lacking cellular connectivity, Iridium Edge is an ideal device for companies in need of a reliable, global IoT solution.

The Satellite phone industry may have a far reach, but in reality the selection within is much smaller. When we sit down with a client to help select a device there is a series of questions we ask which narrows the field heavily. The four satellite phone networks used worldwide (Thuraya, Globalstar, Inmarsat, and Iridium) all have pros and cons, and it's important to make sure you've got the right device for your needs.

Today, January 14, 2017, marks a historic day in Iridium history – the first payload of ten Iridium NEXT satellites have been launched and deployed into low-Earth orbit (LEO) by our launch partner, SpaceX. This highly anticipated first launch took place at SpaceX’s west coast launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, at approximately 9:54:39 am PST.