Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
Iridium 09 to 14 & Iridium 16
Proton-K/17S40
SUCCESS
Success
Wednesday, June 18, 1997 · 14:02 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
Proton-K/17S40
Variant: 17S40
Launch Pad
81/23 (81L)
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
46.074° N, 62.978° E
73
Pad Launches
1091
Location Launches
45
Agency Launches
32
Orbital This Year