Communications
IRIDIUM 116
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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One of the Iridium NEXT satellites, part of a constellation whose original 1990s predecessor became famous for producing brilliant, predictable 'Iridium flares' as sunlight glinted off its antenna panels. Iridium NEXT's redesigned antennas eliminated the effect — a small loss for skywatchers, but part of the broader engineering improvements that made the new constellation more power-efficient and reliable.
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
- 43072
- Int’l designator
- 2017-083C
- Launched
- 2017
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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