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#Iridium satellite network software#
#Iridium satellite network plus#

Iridium NEXT showcased during Satellite 2017 exhibition (Washington DC)Īrtistic views & video : ©Thales Alenia Space/Master Image Programmes Iridium NEXT: the most sophisticated communications system ever (WSBW 2018) Look back to last Iridium NEXT launch #IridiumNEXT

#Iridium satellite network software#

All of this software can be uploaded from the ground, meaning that updates can be loaded whenever needed, as well as higher-performance versions that will enable Iridium to enhance its customer service offering.

This in-orbit routing capability, all software managed, is handled by an onboard processor (OBP) and a platform computer (PFC), along with associated software – the most complex software used on constellation satellites to date.

Each satellite is linked to the four closest satellites, in front/behind/left/right, which makes the service totally independent from the need for any local ground infrastructure.

The success of this complex program further confirms Thales Alenia Space’s global leadership in the constellation market, and also consolidates our unrivaled expertise as prime contractor for complex end-to-end and turnkey communications systems.” * 75 satellites orbited in 8 launches 66 now operational in orbit We have delivered all 81 satellites in this system, now operational, right on schedule, rising to a challenge that our people met with panache. This type of direct satellite access, whether for transmission or reception, means that reliable communications are available, even in the case of natural disasters or conflicts, in isolated areas, or to provide secure communications with protection against intrusion and piracy***.ĭenis Allard, Vice President for Constellation Projects at Thales Alenia Space, said, “Thales Alenia Space is especially proud of having built the Iridium NEXT constellation. No matter where the user is located on land, at sea or in the air, Iridium provides coverage, enabling them to communicate.

#Iridium satellite network plus#

It features global coverage, plus independence from local ground infrastructure due to each satellite being linked to the four closest satellites, in front, behind, to the right and left. The Iridium NEXT constellation represents the state of the art in terms of technology and flexibility. This is the first time that an operator and a manufacturer have worked hand-in-hand to replace an entire constellation of 66 satellites, one by one, without any interruption in user service**. The major challenge for Thales Alenia Space was to deploy a complete and complex turnkey system from end to end, while also ensuring compatibility between the old and new generations of Iridium satellites. Satellite orbital positioning and in-orbit tests were prepared and executed by Thales Alenia Space teams at Iridium’s Satellite Network Operation Center (SNOC) in Leesburg, Virginia.

Satellite integration was performed on site under the direction of a Thales Alenia Space team, specially detached for the purpose.

Volume production took place at a subcontractor’s premises, the Northrop Grumman Corporation facility in Gilbert, Arizona (formerly Orbital ATK). The satellite design was refined and tested on two initial models at Thales Alenia Space’s plants in Toulouse and Cannes. Thales Alenia Space is prime contractor for the Iridium NEXT program, responsible for engineering, production, procurement and integration operations, along with the ground and in-orbit testing of the constellation’s overall performance. Iridium NEXT is not only an impressive technical achievement, based on a highly innovative, even novel concept, but above all an industrial and human achievement, for which all of Thales Alenia Space’s European facilities teamed up to meet an inspiring challenge.