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Contact:
Keith Takahashi |
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Contact:
Keith Takahashi |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
97-2
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Jan. 6, 1997 -- A McDonnell Douglas Delta II rocket will propel wireless communications to new horizons with the launch of the first three IRIDIUM system satellites on Jan. 8 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. This launch highlights McDonnell Douglas' role in executing Iridium's and Motorola's technically advanced plan to revolutionize worldwide communications.
The launch will occur from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 2. The 48-minute launch window will open at 5:35 a.m. and close at 6:23 a.m. PST.
The IRIDIUM system is designed to be a constellation of 66 satellites in low-Earth orbit. They will provide a satellite-based wireless personal communications network permitting any type of telephone transmission including voice, data, fax and paging to reach its destination virtually anywhere on Earth, anytime.
Worldwide commercial service availability is planned for late 1998, when the entire 66-satellite network is scheduled to be operational.
"The McDonnell Douglas team has worked for nearly five and a half years to prepare for this launch. When the constellation is fully deployed it will mark a major step forward for world communications. We're very enthusiastic about our relationships with Iridium LLC and Motorola and the future opportunities they present," said Jay Witzling, division director, Delta II and Titan programs for McDonnell Douglas.
McDonnell Douglas signed a contract with Motorola in 1994 for eight Delta II launches through the year 1998. In December 1995, the companies signed a separate, but related operations and maintenance contract for five additional Delta II launches scheduled between April 1998 and June 2001. Each satellite is designed to be functional for five to eight years.
The Delta II rocket is manufactured by McDonnell Douglas in Huntington Beach, Calif., and assembled in Pueblo, Colo.
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.
IRIDIUM is a registered trademark
and service mark of Iridium LLC.