NEWTOWN, Conn. - Thales Alenia Space will provide all 81 Iridium NEXT satellites under a $2.2 billion deal. French export credit agency Coface has guaranteed a $1.8 billion credit facility to fund the effort. Iridium will fund the remainder of the cost, which is expected to total approximately $2.9 billion, (including launch), from its own cash flows.
Iridium has focused on finding payloads to host on board the satellites. The majority of the space dedicated to hosted payloads will be used by Aireon LLC, a joint venture between Iridium and NAV CANADA that will provide ADS-B services to air navigation agencies. Air navigation service providers in Denmark, Ireland, and Italy have also joined the project. These services will be important over ocean regions, where land-based ADS-B receivers cannot be deployed.
Aireon-owned payloads are expected to utilize about 80 percent of the hosted payload space allotted on Iridium NEXT satellites. Under an agreement with Iridium, Harris Corp will market the remaining 20 percent of hosted payload space. Harris will partner with exactEarth to install AIS sensors in order to generate data to sell to shipping companies.
Iridium NEXT will offer improved capabilities compared to the current generation of satellites, giving Iridium even more opportunities to expand its market presence.
Iridium satellites have experienced some delays. Initially delays were caused by software development issues. However, with those issues resolved, launches were delayed by red tape associated with getting permission to use the Russian-built Dnepr to carry initial satellites into orbit. By February 2016, Iridium gave up on the Russian launch vehicles, and switched all launches to the SpaceX Falcon 9. Launches will take place in 2016 and 2017.
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