They Thought We Were Crazy… And We Had to Be!

$69.00

Description

Years ago, when the idea for Iridium NEXT was first revealed, many in the industry viewed it as more of an aspiration than a tangible future. Early on, and even right up until the very first launch of 10 new satellites, publications, analysts and the public were steering the story back to how things were over a decade ago, when constellations were considered too ambitious and costly. Today, Iridium NEXT has fully launched and LEO constellations are the hot topic and favored orbit among aspirational satellite companies. During this presentation, Iridium CEO Matt Desch will take attendees through a journey that so many believed impossible. This keynote will touch on several “miracles” that came to pass in order to make Iridium NEXT a reality: ideation (what does the new constellation look like and how do we get people to believe in that new vision?); financing – with a trailing 9 month EBITDA of $159 million, how does Iridium get a $1.8 billion credit facility to help finance a $3+ billion constellation?; launching – will SpaceX be ready?; and building the distribution and operational side of this next-generation LEO constellation in the face of insurmountable odds and rhetoric.