Orbital Sciences Corporation today announced that eight new Orbcomm data communications satellites built and launched by the company in December 1997, together with two additional Orbcomm satellites launched in February 1998, have completed the company’s in-orbit testing process and have been transferred to Orbital’s Orbcomm Global, L.P. affiliate. Orbcomm Global has begun to place these satellites in commercial service, adding to the satellites already in use in its global data and messaging communications network.
The company also announced that it plans to launch two more groups of eight Orbcomm satellites each on its next two Pegasus rocket launches, scheduled over the coming three months. When added to the existing 12 Orbcomm satellites now in orbit, these 16 additional satellites will complete Orbcomm Global’s 28-satellite basic space network. In addition, Orbital
and Orbcomm Global plan to launch eight more Orbcomm satellites in mid-1999 to enhance the network’s capacity and coverage in the equatorial regions of the globe. Orbcomm is licensed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to operate up to 48 low-orbit data communications satellites, enabling it to provide affordable monitoring, tracking and messaging services.
