Today¿s successful launch of two more Iridium satellites on board a China Long March brings the constellation to near full deployment. The two satellites were launched on a Chinese Long March 2C/SD rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China. This was the fourteenth successful launch for Iridium in the last 11 months.
The two satellites are part of Iridium LLC¿s 66-satellite global wireless personal communications network which is designed to
offer voice, data, fax and paging services with a handheld telephone and pager.
¿Today¿s success of the China Long March rocket is an important milestone that brings Iridium within five months of
introducing the first global wireless telephone service,¿ said Edward F. Staiano, Iridium LLC Vice Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer.
¿Four successful launches from three countries in six weeks is an impressive testament to one of the most ambitious launch
campaigns ever in the space industry,¿ said Motorola Chief Executive Officer Christopher Galvin. ¿Motorola is proud of our
accomplishments of making a dream from a decade ago become a reality today, and congratulates China Great Wall for their
successful launch.¿
The Long March 2C/SD rocket lifted off the launch pad at 5:16 a.m. EDT. Satellite separation occurred approximately 50
minutes after liftoff. The two satellites will be maneuvered into their respective positions to become part of the operational
constellation.
