With the launch of a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California last week, the Iridium constellation of communications satellites was
completed. Mobile phones that use the new network will work anywhere in the
world. Out of the 72 satellites that were launched, five have been lost due to a
variety of failures, from a thruster that used up all the fuel to a faulty
gyroscope. Two more had “minor glitches”, according to Iridium spokeswoman
Michelle Lyle, but will soon be working.
More from Â鶹´«Ã½
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending Â鶹´«Ã½ articles
1
Electric vehicle owners could earn thousands by supporting power grid
2
Neanderthal infants were enormous compared with modern humans
3
How to spot the Lyrid meteor shower tonight
4
Exclusive report: Inside Chernobyl, 40 years after nuclear disaster
5
Largest ever map of universe captures 47 million galaxies and quasars
6
My life as a meteorologist in Chernobyl under Russian occupation
7
Collapse of key ocean current may release billions of tonnes of carbon
8
Computer finds flaw in major physics paper for first time
9
The rise, the fall and the rebound of cyclic cosmology
10
The first quantum computer to break encryption is now shockingly close
