Update on the Iridium Satellite Constellation
19 Feb 2009
Iridium Satellite has completed its service hole patch in relation to the loss of its operational satellite on
Tuesday, February 10, 2009. Although the satellite loss resulted in limited service disruptions, Iridium took immediate steps to complete the service patch, which addressed a significant portion of outages that customers may have experienced.
Due to the mesh design of the Iridium network, the company expects further impact to customers to be limited. Iridium is also taking the necessary steps to replace the lost satellite with one of its in-orbit spares, and the operational planning stage is underway.
The events of the past few days illustrate
the unique ability of the Iridium constellation to withstand the loss of an operational satellite with minimal impact on operations, and of the company to provide a quick recovery through use of in-orbit spares. Iridium is working with the appropriate government agencies to gather additional information about the collision.
Should you have any questions, please contact your AST Customer Services on +44(0)1493 441 485 or email customer.service@ast-uk.com