China Aerospace Corporation
Iridium 51 & 61
Long March 2C/SD
SUCCESS
Success
Wednesday, March 25, 1998 · 17:01 UTC
Mission
/01Iridium provides global mobile telecommunications services using a constellation of 66 low earth orbit satellites in a 86.4° inclined orbit. Although 77 satellites were originally envisioned for the system and spawned the name based on the 77th element in the periodic table, the system has been scaled back. Motorola's Satellite Communications Group designed and manufactured the Iridium satellites with Lockheed Martin providing the LM-700A spacecraft buses.
Mission Type
Communications
Orbit
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Probability
N/A
Status
Launch Successful
Vehicle & Pad
/02Rocket
Long March 2C/SD
Variant: C/SD
Launch Pad
Launch Complex 7
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
38.849° N, 111.608° E
5
Pad Launches
5
Location Launches
20
Agency Launches
19
Orbital This Year