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Iridium 7
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Iridium 7 was a U.S. Iridium communications satellite. It was launched into low Earth orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 14:55 GMT on 5 May 1997, by a Delta II 7920-10C carrier rocket.[1] It was operated in Plane 4 of the Iridium satellite constellation, with an ascending node of 262.4°.[1]
Quick Facts Mission type, Operator ...
![]() A mockup of an Iridium satellite | |
Mission type | Communication |
---|---|
Operator | Iridium Satellite LLC |
COSPAR ID | 1997-020B ![]() |
SATCAT no. | 24793![]() |
Spacecraft properties | |
Bus | LM-700A |
Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 5 May 1997 (1997-05-05) |
Rocket | Delta II 7920-10C |
Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2W |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
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It had a partial technical failure in 2009 and was subsequently paired with Iridium 51, and relegated to following it and managing traffic routing.[2]