United States Air Force

Iridium 04 to 08

Delta II 7920-10C

SUCCESS
Success

Monday, May 5, 1997 · 14:55 UTC

Mission

/01

Iridium 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

/02

Rocket

Delta II 7920-10C

Variant: 7920-10C

Launch Pad

Space Launch Complex 2W

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

34.756° N, 120.622° W

51

Pad Launches

572

Location Launches

976

Agency Launches

21

Orbital This Year

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