Satellite News

Iridium Communications Inc. announced the date for the first launch of its next-generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. Iridium will be launching on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on 16 December 2016 at 0836 UTC. Launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into low-earth orbit.

Hispasat 36W-1, the first telecom satellite built using the SmallGEO platform, arrived in Kourou after completing its final tests at IABG in Germany. It will now start being prepared for launch on a Soyuz rocket in January.