Iridium CEO Matt Desch Chosen to 2018 Wash100 for Vision and Achievements on Improving the Satellite Network Infrastructure
Executive Mosaic is honored to announce Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, as an inductee into the 2018 edition of the Wash100 — Executive Mosaic’s annual selection of the most influential voices in the government contracting arena–for his accomplishments in developing the next generation of satellite network-constellations and SATCOM services.
The company launched on Dec. 22 its fourth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The launch marked the first use of the rocket’s previously-flown first stage and came two months after the third set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites took off aboard the SpaceX rocket.
“Today’s launch is an incredible milestone — we have officially reached the halfway point,” Desch said of the fourth satellite launch. “We are excited to be taking part in SpaceX’s rocket reusability initiative and make history as the first company to reuse the same booster.”
The company’s Iridium NEXT constellation is a $3 billion satellite network that seeks to establish the infrastructure for Aireon’s system designed to provide aircraft surveillance and tracking service and Iridium Certus that works to offer L-band satellite broadband service.
Falcon 9 fielded the second batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites in June to join the initial set of 10 satellites that lifted off aboard the SpaceX rocket in January.
Iridium continues to deliver satellite communications services in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico to aid hurricane recovery efforts.
In an October 2017 interview with NASASpaceflight.com, Desch said that the company saw an increase in SATCOM demand in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean “on a scale that we have not seen before.”
“We envision a future where numerous diverse satellite architectures interwork to support the dramatically expanding IoT universe,” he noted then. “From high bandwidth access points to highly mobile and low latency devices like Iridium supports today, to low power, higher latency networks like Magnitude Space envisions, Iridium has the experience and global platform to enable all of these capabilities to inter-work.”
That September, Iridium announced its partnership with Dutch satellite company Magnitude Space to facilitate the delivery of space-based internet of things service offerings through the development of low power global area network technology platforms.
Prior to Iridium, Desch held senior leadership roles at telecommunications companies such as Telcordia Technologies, Nortel Networks and Global Carriers.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Matt Desch and the Iridium team for their selection to receive this award.