DULLES, Va.-Orbcomm Global L.P. launched eight satellites into orbit Dec. 23, bringing its number of orbiting satellites to 10, the company announced. Satellite controllers at Orbcomm’s Network Control Center in Dulles, Va., have established ground communication with all eight satellites and have begun a three-month testing and deployment phase.
Orbcomm initially had established ground communication with seven of the satellites. On Dec. 30 it established communication with the eighth.
“Following comprehensive testing, we plan to have a working constellation of 10 satellites,” said Alan Parker, Orbcomm president and chief executive officer. “Our success this week is a testament to the technical know-how and commitment of the Orbcomm and Orbital engineers, many of whom worked through the holidays to establish communication and begin testing these satellites.”
Orbital Science Corp.’s L-1011 carrier aircraft with the Pegasus XL rocket took off from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Wallops Island Flight Facility and flew about 60 miles off the Virginia coast to a predetermined point 39,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean where the Pegasus rocket was released.
Each satellite is folded for launch into a shallow cylindrical shape 41 inches in diameter and only 6.5 inches in height. The stackable design allows dense packaging of multiple satellites, which reduces the launch expense required to deploy Orbcomm’s planned constellation of 36 satellites, the company said.
