Iridium Upgrades Satellite Phones for International Space Station

Iridium Handsets Provide Critical Safety Link for Cosmonauts Landing in Remote Regions of Russia

(Bethesda, Md., February 7, 2008) -- Iridium(r) Satellite has recently upgraded the satellite phones used by Russian cosmonauts when returning to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). The Russian authorities are replacing the older 9505 Iridium handsets, which have been in service since 2003, with new-generation 9505A units.

"The Iridium phones provide a critical safety link for communicating with the returning cosmonauts," said Greg Ewert, executive vice president of Iridium Satellite. "The Soyuz descent vehicles often land in very remote regions of Russia, which are not covered by terrestrial telecommunication networks. The Iridium phone, coupled with a highly accurate GPS receiver, helps the search and rescue teams locate and recover the spacecraft and crew without delay."

"Iridium originally supplied the 9505 handsets to the S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia, in August 2003," said Alexander Spirin, RSC Energia. "An Iridium satellite phone has become standard equipment on each Soyuz space vehicle delivering cosmonauts to the ISS and returning them back to Earth, providing the capability to establish reliable communications with rescue teams."

"The Iridium satellite phones provide an important margin of safety for our returning cosmonauts," continued Spirin. "The robustness and performance of the units have proved Iridium's ability to provide worldwide, gap-free coverage and excellent network quality, making them an ideal solution for this demanding requirement."

Source : Iridium Satellite LLC

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