Iridium CertusSM is the new advanced multi-service platform enabled by the upgraded Iridium constellation. Extending the reach of terrestrial and cellular infrastructure like never before, Iridium Certus redefines the capabilities of mobile satellite communications across maritime, IoT, aviation, land mobile, and government applications.
Iridium CertusSM is the new advanced multi-service platform enabled by the upgraded Iridium constellation. Extending the reach of terrestrial and cellular infrastructure like never before, Iridium Certus redefines the capabilities of mobile satellite communications across maritime, IoT, aviation, land mobile, and government applications.
Redefining Satellite Communications
Built from the ground up by a team of the world’s tops minds from leading technology companies around the world, the launch and operation of the upgraded Iridium network is establishing new standards for the future of satellite communications.
The Iridium Constellation
The upgraded Iridium constellation was designed to enhance the existing global support of the first-generation Iridium network. The network consists of:
- 66 Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) second-generation satellites
- 9 in-orbit spare second-generation satellites
- 6 ground spare second-generation satellites
- Upgraded Gateway and Command & Control ground facilities
One-of a Kind Mesh Architecture
In space, each Iridium satellite will be cross-linked to four others – two in the same orbital plane, and one in each adjacent plane. This architecture allows the network to “hand off” traffic among satellites to deliver connections at a lower latency and ensure a continuous connection.
Why Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites
At less than 780 km (476 miles) from the Earth, the low-flying LEO satellites allow shorter transmission paths, stronger signals, lower latency and shorter registration time than with Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites.
Forty-eight Spot Beams per Satellite
Spot beams project down from satellites to create a concentrated signal reception area. With the upgraded constellation and second-generation satellites, the size of each spot beam is now approximately 250 miles (400 km) in diameter, meaning each satellite’s full 48-beam footprint is approximately 2,800 miles (4,500 km) in diameter. This allows the spot beams to overlap and minimizes missed connections and dropped calls.
Travel Speed of Satellites
The Low-Earth Orbit Iridium satellites travel at approximately 17,000 miles (27,260 kilometers) per hour in space. At this rate, they complete an orbit of the entire Earth about once every 100 minutes.
The Voyage of Iridium Block 1 Satellites
The satellites from the first-generation Iridium constellation underwent an amazing journey over the course of their 20-year lives. The Block 1 satellites launched in 1997 and travelled through space to connect thousands of people and devices around the world.
- Completed approximately 100,000 orbits of Earth
- Traveled over 4.7 trillion kilometers (2.9 trillion miles) or half a light-year
As the Iridium NEXT mission replaced these satellites, they have been responsibly de-boosted and de-orbited.
A Connection Anywhere on the Planet
The Iridium constellation allows users to connect and communicate anywhere on the planet, including areas outside of terrestrial or cellular networks – across oceans, airways, and the poles! The second-generation Iridium satellites deployed through the Iridium NEXT mission enable Iridium CertusSM, a new multi-service platform.