Communications
IRIDIUM 121
Global Mobile Satellite Network (Iridium NEXT) · Iridium Communications
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LiveIt moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.
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Part of the Iridium NEXT constellation, providing the mesh-network satellite telephony that has made Iridium the standard choice for military units, cargo ships, and polar researchers who need guaranteed connectivity anywhere on Earth. Its redesigned antenna array eliminated the bright flares that made the original 1990s Iridium satellites famous among skywatchers.
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
- 42812
- Int’l designator
- 2017-039K
- Launched
- 2017
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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