Communications
IRIDIUM 117
Global Mobile Satellite Network (Iridium NEXT) · Iridium Communications
Right now
LiveIt moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.
- Over
- —
- Altitude
- —
- Speed
- —
Part of the Iridium NEXT mesh-network constellation, providing satellite phone and data services with a design architecture unlike almost any competing system — calls and data can hop between multiple satellites in orbit before reaching a ground station, giving Iridium resilience against regional ground infrastructure failures that would disable other networks entirely.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 485–487 mi (780–783 km)
- Inclination
- 86.4°
- One orbit
- 100.3 minutes14.4 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 42808
- Int’l designator
- 2017-039F
- Launched
- 2017
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
More communications
- IRIDIUM 118Global Mobile Satellite Network (Iridium NEXT)
- IRIDIUM 119Global Mobile Satellite Network (Iridium NEXT)
- IRIDIUM 120Global Mobile Satellite Network (Iridium NEXT)
- IRIDIUM 121Global Mobile Satellite Network (Iridium NEXT)
- IRIDIUM 122Global Mobile Satellite Network (Iridium NEXT)
- IRIDIUM 123Global Mobile Satellite Network (Iridium NEXT)