MISSION NAME
Iridium 27 to 33 33
Status
Success
DATE
14 SEP 1997
LAUNCH PROVIDER
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
Launch Pad
81/23 (81L)
Description
Iridium provides global mobile telecommunications services using a constellation of 66 low earth orbit satellites in a 86.4° inclined orbit. Although 77 satellites were originally envisioned for the system and spawned the name based on the 77th element in the periodic table, the system has been scaled back. Motorola's Satellite Communications Group designed and manufactured the Iridium satellites with Lockheed Martin providing the LM-700A spacecraft buses.
Proton-K/17S40
Rocket Description
The Proton-K was a Russian, previously Soviet, carrier rocket derived from the earlier Proton. It was built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.