KhSC Proton-K/17S40 Iridium 62 to 68
Proton-K/17S40
Status
Success
Date
7 APR 1998
02:13
Launch Provider
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
Launch Pad
81/23 (81L)
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Mission Overview
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.
Rocket
Proton-K/17S40
Mission Type
Communications
Orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Stages
4
Livestream
Not available