Yet again, the $6 billion, 66-satellite Iridium constellation will continue
in orbit. Now the American Defense Department said it is keeping the unit in
business to avoid a global outbreak of anxiety over the prospect of 66 big
satellites crashing into the Earth's atmosphere.
The Pentagon awarded Iridium a $72 million communications contract that will
help secure a new ownership deal worked out in a New York bankruptcy court. Dan
Colussy, the former president of Pan American World Airways from 1978 to 1980,
and a group of investors have agreed to take over Iridium. They have contracted
with Boeing to take over operation of the system from Motorola. In return for
the contract, the Pentagon, which already owns about 1,600 Iridium satellite
phones, will get another 3,000 units as well as unlimited air time for up to
20,000 government users for $3 million a month.
The new Iridium owners will market services to commercial users as well as to
the US military and other government users. The US State Department also owns
2,000 Iridium handsets for use in remote spots on humanitarian missions.
The Pentagon said it was rescuing Iridium because of a growing need for the
encrypted services that will be made available using a special
"sleeve" outfitted for secure handsets. Also, the system gives
military units operating around the world, and even individual soldiers, greater
communications capability because they are not covered by existing satellites in
remote locations in Africa and Asia.
The Pentagon also conceded it wanted to avoid worldwide panic over sending 66
satellites, each weighting 1,400 pounds, crashing into the earth's atmosphere.
Although most hardware would burn up on re-entry, items as big as 2-by-3-foot
titanium fuel tanks could make it to Earth. NASA has estimated that the odds of
someone being killed by falling debris were one in 279. The US Justice
Department had issued a report stating it was extremely unhappy at the prospect
of a 14-month mass de-orbit.
"We worry that this might create widespread anxiety and lead to a public
outcry for ill-considered government action," the document said. Motorola
had planned to begin de-orbiting the satellites as early as last week. Motorola
postponed the deadline while the Pentagon worked out details of the deal.