Time is running out for Iridium

1999-05-11

A few weeks ago I wrote about the uncertain fortunes of Iridium, the satellite phone company. Trouble is, time is running out. The satellites only have a space life of five years, following which they must be replaced: Iridium’s business model is based on making enough money to justify the continuous relaunch of new orbiters to replace the old.

Iridium need to identify new markets for their services, as mentioned before. But if they take too much time doing this, they will generate insufficient funds to sustain their phenomenally expensive infrastructure. Leave it too long and the whole lot might come tumbling down, in more ways than one.

(First published 11 May 1999)