US Iridium satellite collides with secret Russian military craft above Siberia (Pravda Ru)
Russian and US communication satellites collided in space today at the height of over 800 kilometers above the territory of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region, an official spokesman for NASA Kelly Hamphries said. The incident occurred Tuesday, February 10, Itar-Tass reports.
"*"US Iridium satellite collides with secret Russian military craft above Siberia (Pravda Ru)
Iridium Satellite Statement
Iridium Satellite Collision Update on satellite and performance status
The following information was provided per an update by Iridium senior managment...
Yesterday, Iridium lost an operational satellite. According to information shared with the company by various U.S. government organizations that monitor satellites and other space objects (such as debris), it appears that the satellite loss is the result of a collision with a non-operational Russian satellite. Although this event has relatively limited impact on Iridium's service, the company is taking immediate action to address the loss. The Iridium constellation is healthy, and this event is not the result of a failure on the part of Iridium or its technology. We have responded quickly to reroute service around the lost satellite and to work with the various government agencies that track satellites and debris in space to learn all that we can about the event. We are committed to the full restoration of service as expeditiously as possible. In the meantime, we want to share with you the current status. First of all, as you know, the Iridium constellation is uniquely designed to withstand the loss of an operational satellite, and Iridium is taking the necessary steps to replace the lost satellite with one of its in-orbit spares.
In terms of the impact to our customers, some may experience brief outages during the next three days until we are able to re-route traffic that is impacted by the Ka-band link that brings the Iridium constellation's commercial communications traffic to Earth. Iridium expects to implement this network routing change by Friday.
Over the course of the next 30 days, Iridium expects to move one of its in-orbit spare satellites into the network constellation to permanently replace our lost satellite.
Iridium 33 Orbit
Iridium 33 Orbital Path (Former Path)Iridium Replaces Lost Satellite with In-Orbit Spare
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New Inmarsat Satellite Direct Service
Delta Wave has a new service to offer called Inmarsat Satellite Direct.
Satellite Direct is a means of placing calls to Inmarsat terminals either via a two-staged toll free access or via direct U.S. or U.K number assignment (Satellite Direct Plus).
Satellite Direct® enables users to place double-stage fixed-to-mobile calls from any location in the world to any satellite terminal.
Charges are as per your current voice airtime rates from your Inmarsat terminal. (Much lower than your LD provider.)
Key benefits:
* Universal: available for Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya and other Low Earth Orbit satellite services.
* Flexible: no monthly fees or fixed network mark-ups for satellite calls through toll-free numbers (Satellite Direct).
* Practical: features include Calling Line Identification (CLID) and Quick Number dialing (Satellite Direct)
* Satellite Direct offers a means of reaching the remote user via Caller ID (CLID) functions which eliminate the need to enter PIN Codes. Up to 99 CLID's may be assigned per account.
*Satellite Direct also offers Quick Number (QN) assignments per Satellite Direct account. QN's are mapped up to 10 Inmarsat terminals. By dialing the platform using one of the 10 QN's one would not need to enter the destination Inmarsat number.
*Used in conjunction with CLID, it turns it into a single staged platform for no monthly fee.
* Satellite Direct Plus offers US or UK phone number mapping to your terminal for a monthly fee of $29.00.
Can't beat that!
Iridium Enhances features on 9555 Handheld
MCLEAN, Va., Jun 9, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Iridium Communications Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!irdm/quotes/nls/irdm (IRDM 8.72, +0.20, +2.35%) , the only provider of real global, mobile and reliable satellite phones, announces important new features for its Iridium 9555 satellite handset.
The latest firmware release for the Iridium 9555 includes the ability to directly interface with computers running on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, as well as Mac Version 10.4 or later. The upgrades now make it easier for users to send and receive e-mails and exchange computer files through the Iridium satellite phone. The Iridium 9555 connects to the laptop with a standard mini-USB cable.
In addition, the Iridium 9555 has enhanced short-message service (SMS) text capabilities. Iridium 9555 users can now send and receive long SMS texts up to 1,000 characters in length to an e-mail address or mobile phone. Previously, the Iridium 9555 offered the ability to text up to 160 characters.
"These new features will greatly enhance users' experience with Iridium satellite phones and are part of our program of continuous product improvement," said Joel Thompson, vice president of product management for Iridium. "Since its introduction in 2008, the Iridium 9555 has maintained market leadership as the only satellite phone that provides dependable communications-on-the-move globally, including places where other satellite systems cannot reach."
"The compact lightweight Iridium 9555 has established the standard for satellite phones in terms of convenience and portability," said Thompson. "The Iridium 9555 has proved to be a critical communication link for relief and recovery operations during recent earthquakes and other natural disasters in which reliability and mobility are crucial."
The Iridium 9555 phone uses the company's constellation of 66 cross-linked satellites orbiting about 500 miles above the Earth's surface. The satellite orbits intersect over the North and South poles, providing complete coverage over the entire Earth's surface.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium Communications Inc. (www.iridium.com) is the only mobile satellite service (MSS) company offering coverage over the entire globe. The Iridium constellation of low-earth orbiting (LEO) cross-linked satellites provides critical voice and data services for areas not served by terrestrial communication networks. Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of distributors, and provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. and international government agencies. The company's customers represent a broad spectrum of industry, including maritime, aeronautical, government/defense, public safety, utilities, oil/gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation. Iridium has launched a major development program for its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. The company is headquartered in McLean, Va., USA and trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbols IRDM (common stock), IRDMW ($7.00 warrants), IRDMZ ($11.50 warrants) and IRDMU (units).