A Boeing Delta II rocket lifted off the pad here at 5:37 a.m. PST, successfully placing five Iridium satellites in a parking orbit before being deployed to their service orbit 85 minutes after launch.
Delta rockets now have deployed 55 satellites over eleven launches for
the Iridium system, a global wireless communication network combining
the worldwide reach of 66 low-Earth orbit satellites with land-based
wireless systems to enable subscribers to connect with hand-held
telephones and pagers virtually anywhere in the world. The Iridium
system is the largest commercial satellite constellation ever launched
by Boeing.
"We're proud to support this impressive undertaking that will
revolutionize communications as we know it," said Darryl Van Dorn,
Boeing director of NASA and commercial Delta programs.
Boeing builds the Delta II rocket in Huntington Beach, Calif., while
its Canoga Park, Calif., facility produces the Rocketdyne RS-27 first-
stage main engine. Final assembly takes place at the Boeing facility
in Pueblo, Colo. The Delta launch team at Vandenberg Air Force Base
handles launch coordination and operations for Iridium missions.
Alliant Techsystems, Magna, Utah, manufactures the graphite epoxy
motors for boost assist. Aerojet, Sacramento, Calif., builds the
second-stage engine, and AlliedSignal, Teterboro, N.J., produces
the guidance and flight control system.
The Iridium system is owned by Iridium LLC, an international consortium
of 17 investor organizations representing telecommunications and
industrial companies worldwide, with Motorola Satellite Communications
Group serving as the prime contractor.
