ICO Satellite Management
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ICO Satellite Management, LLC, formerly ICO Global Communications, plans to offer S-band mobile satellite services (MSS) via a satellite in geostationary orbit and auxiliary ground-based relays. In April 2005, ICO awarded the space component contract to Space Systems/Loral [1].
Founded in January 1995, ICO Global Communications, planned to build an MSS constellation in medium earth orbit (in two 45°-inclined orthogonal planes), and had contracted Boeing Satellite Systems (then Hughes) for 12 spacecraft in July of that year — ten operational spacecraft and two in-orbit spares. ICO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 1999, but emerged (as New ICO) in May 2000 following investments by Craig McCaw and others. The first spacecraft, a Hughes HS 601 designated ICO F-1, was lost due to a Sea Launch anomaly on March 12, 2000 [2]. In September 2000, ICO contracted Hughes for three additional spacecraft, and Hughes agreed to modify the 11 remaining spacecraft from the original contract to support an ICO re-design of the system. On June 19, 2001, the second spacecraft was successfully launched by an Atlas II AS from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
[edit] See also
- Globalstar
- Iridium
- Teledesic
- TerreStar
