Description: Iridium is a fee based bidirectional satellite system that incorporates a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite configuration, providing near global coverage. The iridium constellation consists of 66 satellites which overlap, each providing a footprint of 4500km. Iridium is ideal in very remote location where even geostationary satellites do not provide coverage. The downside to Iridium is the recurring fee associated with data usage and the data must be collected over the internet, making multiple hops from the station to the satellite to the commercial ground station in Tempe, Arizona USA to the user’s computer
Costs USD Lower: $1,000
Costs USD Upper: $2,000
Accessories:
Advantages: Provides two-way communication in remote areas where even geostationary satellites do not provide coverage.
Disadvantages: Fee based solution with a relatively high cost compared to Geostationary Satellites such as GOES and METEOSAT. Data is collected over the internet where security and reliability may be a concern.
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