Iridium 33
A mockup of an Iridium satellite
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| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| Operator | Iridium Satellite LLC |
| COSPAR ID | 1997-051C |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | LM-700A |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 14 September 1997 |
| Rocket | Proton-K/DM2 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 81/23 |
| Contractor | ILS |
| End of mission | |
| Destroyed | 10 February 2009, 16:56 UTC Collision with Kosmos 2251 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
Iridium 33 was a communications satellite launched by the United States for Iridium Communications. It was launched into low Earth orbit from Site 81/23 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 01:36 GMT on 14 September 1997, by a Proton-K carrier rocket with a Block DM2 upper stage. It was operated in Plane 3 of the Iridium satellite constellation, with an ascending node of 230.9°.
On 10 February 2009, at 16:56 GMT, Kosmos 2251 (a retired Strela satellite) and Iridium 33 collided, resulting in the destruction of both spacecraft.NASA reported that a large amount of space debris was produced by the collision.
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