Orbital Iridium NEXT User Manual
LEO
Communications
Iridium NEXT
The Next-generation Satellite Constellation of Iridium Communications Inc.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
Mission Description
Under a contract from Thales Alenia Space, Orbital is assembling, integrating, and testing 81 spacecraft
for the Iridium NEXT program including 66 operational spacecraft, six on-orbit spares, and nine ground-
backup spacecraft. Orbital’s responsibilities also include Ground Support Equipment (GSE), payload
integration, including hosted payloads, shipment, and launch integration services.
Each spacecraft employs an L-band phased array antenna for generation of the 48-beam,
4,700 kilometer diameter cellular pattern on the Earth’s surface for communication with subscribers/
users. Ka-band links are also provided for communications with ground-based gateways and for
crosslinks with adjacent spacecraft in orbit. The cross-linked 66 satellite constellation forms a global
network in space allowing communications from a ground or airborne user from any location on Earth
to virtually anywhere else on Earth.
Coverage:
Worldwide
Mission:
Global mobile communications
Customers:
Thales Alenia Space – Cannes, France
Iridium Communications Inc. –
McLean, Virginia
Artist's rendering of the Iridium NEXT
constellation of satellites
Iridium NEXT
Specications
Spacecraft
Launch Mass: 800 kg (1,764 lb.)
Solar Array: 2,000 W
Orbital Altitude: 780 km (485 mi)
Stabilization: 2-axis
Mission Life: 10 year design and 15 year mission life
Communications
Regenerative processing payload with On-Board Processor (OBP)
L-band
• Single 48-beam transmit/receive phased array antenna
• Time-Division Duplex (TDD) architecture
Ka-band
• Two 20/30 GHz steerable feeder links to terrestrial gateways
• Four 23 GHz crosslinks to adjacent Iridium NEXT satellites for relay
communications
• Two steerable, two xed antennas
• Time-Division Duplex (TDD) architecture
TT&C
• 20/30 GHz links via omni antennas
Launch
Launch Vehicle: TBD
Site: TBD
Date: 2015-2017
Mission Partners
Iridium Communications Inc
Owner/operator of the Iridium System
Thales Alenia Space
Prime contractor for the Iridium NEXT satellite system
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Assembly, integration and test of the 81 satellites including primary
and hosted payloads, shipment and launch integration services
Hosted Payloads
The Iridium NEXT spacecraft design allows for up to a 50-kilogram
hosted payload. Hosted payloads enjoy the interconnectivity of the
66 satellite Iridium network and near-real time relay of data to and
from space, providing the end user global coverage at a fraction
of the price of a dedicated mission. The end user receives hosted
payload data via an IP interface to Iridium facilities, which obviates
the need for any customer owned ground stations. Additional
benets to hosted payload missions include persistence, revisit
capabilities and resilience.
Total Mass: Up to 50 kg
Dimensions: 30 x 40 x 70 cm
Power: 50 W Average, 200 W Peak
Data Rate: Up to 1 Mbps
More Information
Iridium – Civil
Dr. Om P. Gupta
Director, Strategic Market Development
Om.Gupta@Iridium.com
Iridium – Military
John Campbell, Lt. Gen., USAF (Ret.)
Executive Vice President, Government Programs
John.Campbell@Iridium.com
Orbital
Daniel Brophy
Sr. Program Director
brophy.daniel@orbital.com
Orbital Sciences Corporation
45101 Warp Drive
•
Dulles, Virginia 20166
•
www.orbital.com
©2014 Orbital Sciences Corporation FS002_11_2998
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