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...and Iridium famously resulted in the largest US bankruptcy ever, nine months after launch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_Communications#History http

...and Iridium famously resulted in the largest US bankruptcy ever, nine months after launch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_Communications#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_Communications#History Initial investment ~$6B, sold to US gov't for $25m. Here's hoping Spacex has better luck.

walrus01 8y ago
Yes, and the successor corporation of Iridium which bought it out of bankruptcy, and renamed itself to Iridium, has been wildly successful in the maritime, government, aviation, exploration/expedition, military markets. Which is where having a 2400 to 3600 baud (or voice and SMS) service that functions literally anywhere on the planet, pole to pole, is a highly desirable service. The original 1998-2000 marketing materials for Iridium are ridiculous, like a traveling executive is going to take a gargantuan expensive satellite phone with them when traveling internationally, rather than relying on GSM roaming agreements.
- jpatokal 8y ago
  Wildly successful after $6b in debt was written off, and only in a small (but profitable) niche, not the originally envisioned mass market. I know it sounds ridiculous now, but the original plan for Iridium was to replace that traveling exec's GSM phone, with the expectation that handset size & pricing would drop as the service grew.
- bacon_waffle 8y ago
  > where having a 2400 to 3600 baud (or voice and SMS) service that functions literally anywhere on the planet, pole to pole, is a highly desirable service. I spent a year at the South Pole, where Iridium was, practically speaking, our only link to the outside world for most of the day. The higher bandwidth satellites are only available part of the day, either due to their orbit putting them below the horizon (Iridium uses polar orbits, unlike most communications satellites), or them being booked by other users. As you say, it's priceless for the occasional problem where help is needed from experts up North. Nominally, the station also has 24/7 text email through Iridium, and a couple voice lines, which is mostly a good thing for people's sanity. Shortwave radio could address some of those uses, and there is a one there too, but it would be a rather different experience without something like Iridium.
  - walrus01 8y ago
    one of the other satellite architectures that could address the South Pole high bandwidth access problem, basically the same thing as o3b, but in 90-degree inclined polar orbits. The o3b meo satellites are generally visible anywhere within plus or minus 45 degrees latitude from the equator, because they are in Equatorial orbits. But if there was sufficient market demand there is nothing to say that a highly inclined orbit, similar system could not be deployed. the existing starlink test satellites are in highly inclined orbits, so if there were a great deal more of them, this would also be a possible solution.

walrus01 8y ago

Yes, and the successor corporation of Iridium which bought it out of bankruptcy, and renamed itself to Iridium, has been wildly successful in the maritime, government, aviation, exploration/expedition, military markets. Which is where having a 2400 to 3600 baud (or voice and SMS) service that functions literally anywhere on the planet, pole to pole, is a highly desirable service. The original 1998-2000 marketing materials for Iridium are ridiculous, like a traveling executive is going to take a gargantuan expensive satellite phone with them when traveling internationally, rather than relying on GSM roaming agreements.

jpatokal 8y ago
Wildly successful after $6b in debt was written off, and only in a small (but profitable) niche, not the originally envisioned mass market. I know it sounds ridiculous now, but the original plan for Iridium was to replace that traveling exec's GSM phone, with the expectation that handset size & pricing would drop as the service grew.
bacon_waffle 8y ago
> where having a 2400 to 3600 baud (or voice and SMS) service that functions literally anywhere on the planet, pole to pole, is a highly desirable service. I spent a year at the South Pole, where Iridium was, practically speaking, our only link to the outside world for most of the day. The higher bandwidth satellites are only available part of the day, either due to their orbit putting them below the horizon (Iridium uses polar orbits, unlike most communications satellites), or them being booked by other users. As you say, it's priceless for the occasional problem where help is needed from experts up North. Nominally, the station also has 24/7 text email through Iridium, and a couple voice lines, which is mostly a good thing for people's sanity. Shortwave radio could address some of those uses, and there is a one there too, but it would be a rather different experience without something like Iridium.
- walrus01 8y ago
  one of the other satellite architectures that could address the South Pole high bandwidth access problem, basically the same thing as o3b, but in 90-degree inclined polar orbits. The o3b meo satellites are generally visible anywhere within plus or minus 45 degrees latitude from the equator, because they are in Equatorial orbits. But if there was sufficient market demand there is nothing to say that a highly inclined orbit, similar system could not be deployed. the existing starlink test satellites are in highly inclined orbits, so if there were a great deal more of them, this would also be a possible solution.