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Motorola Readies Iridium System for Commercial Service Chandler, Ariz. - September 8, 1998 - Today's successful launch of five Iridium satellites aboard a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., brings the Iridium system one step closer to being commercially available.Motorola, inventor and prime contractor for the Iridium system, has set launch and satellite manufacturing industry records during the past 16 months in its quest to build and bring the first truly global, personal communications system to the world. "What began as a vision more than a decade ago is nearing reality," said Christopher Galvin, Motorola chief executive officer. "This is about taking the next step in the evolution of wireless communications. It's about harnessing the power of digital technology...inventing and cultivating entirely new industries." "When we first began this project in 1987, many people said it couldn't be done," said Bary Bertiger, senior vice president and general manager of the Motorola Satellite Communications Group. "We are nearly complete on our field testing programs, have loaded all necessary operational software onto all the satellites in orbit, and are bringing all systems to final readiness." Space Segment Motorola has launched a total of 79 satellites for the Iridium system since May 5, 1997. The initial deployment of 72 satellites on 15 launches was completed in 12 months, 12 days. The overall health of the constellation remains good. The crosslinks on the Iridium satellites have been tested and are working as expected. These crosslinks are a unique feature that distinguish the Iridium system from other planned satellite communications systems. They enable the satellites to talk to one another in space, and provide the ability to optimally route calls through the constellation with the shortest delay. "The satellite failures we have experienced over the past 15 months remain within our projections," said Bertiger. "In planning on failures when we designed this system, we bought launch and on-orbit insurance coverage." The failed satellites have been replaced on two recent launches:
"These recent launches have replenished two of the six orbital planes in the constellation. The remaining four planes are also at full operational capacity, with one possible exception," said Bertiger. SV14 in Plane 5 is experiencing communications difficulties. It will be replaced by one of five new satellites to be put into orbit on a Delta II maintenance launch that is planned for later next month. The other four new satellites launched on that mission will serve as spare satellites in orbit. A malfunctioning or failed satellite would not have a major, detrimental effect on the ability of the Iridium constellation to provide global coverage. The crosslinking and dynamic routing among the satellites, combined with the increasing overlap of their "footprints" as they move away from the equator and approach the poles, would minimize any potential loss of service. "We have identified and corrected a software defect that we believe was responsible for some of the satellite failures," Bertiger said. "New satellites will be preloaded with all software before being launched, and we anticipate this will eliminate the likelihood of this type failure in the future." Ground Segment "The gateways are an integral part of the Iridium system, providing the link from satellite to terrestrial communications," said Rickie Currens, corporate vice president and general manager of the Ground Systems Division. "The Iridium North America Gateway, located in Tempe, Az., has played a vital role in our field testing program over the past 3-4 months. During that time Motorola has made thousands of test phone calls on the Iridium system. Voice quality on these test phone calls has been described as 'excellent'." The following gateways have been accepted for voice functionality by the gateway owners and are planned to be operational when commercial service becomes available. Those gateways are:
In addition, the following gateway is in its final acceptance testing and should be ready for commercial service:
Satellite Network Operations Center The Satellite Network Operations Center, located in Landsdowne, Va., near the Dulles International Airport, is the operational heart of the Iridium system. From this new, state of the art facility, 250 Motorola engineers and operators man the satellite flight control stations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are two backup control facilities: one in Rome, Italy; the other at the Motorola Satellite Communications Group headquarters in Chandler, Ariz. The SATCOM facility served as the control center for the first three Iridium missions until the Satellite Network Operations Center became operational late last year. "Motorola is controlling what we believe is the largest commercial satellite constellation, and we are doing it with a degree of efficiency unmatched anywhere," said Mark Borota, corporate vice president and general manager of the Mobile Satellite Systems Division which is responsible for the space and control segments of the Iridium program. Motorola is a global leader in software-energized wireless communications, semiconductors, and advanced electronic systems and services. Motorola creates cellular telephone, two-way radio, paging, data and satellite communications systems and products that enable people to take their worlds with them. Motorola's embedded semiconductors are essential digital building blocks for consumer, networking and computing, transportation and wireless communications markets. Other businesses include automotive electronics, components, computing and energy products. Sales in 1997 were $29.8 billion.
Iridium Reports At SpaceDaily
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