[Satellite TODAY 05-12-11] Iridium Communications will leverage iDirect’s VSAT platform as part of a multi-year plan to upgrade the ground-control infrastructure of its low-Earth orbiting (LEO) satellite constellation Iridium Next, iDirect announced May 11.

The VSAT network aims allow Iridium to handle increased data transmission between its remote tracking, telemetry and control stations in Canada and its satellite network operations center in Leesburg, Va.

Iridium also selected iDirect’s series 15000 universal satellite hub to bolster communications for its dedicated operations network as part of the design, build-out and launch of Iridium Next. Iridium plans to use iDirect’s IP-based platform to enhance and extend global asset connectivity by delivering higher data speeds and new services to its customer base, the operator said.

            Iridium chose iDirect after conducting a comparative evaluation of next-generation satellite platforms to upgrade the infrastructure of its network, iDirect said in a company statement. “iDirect enables Iridium to enhance data throughput from 300 Kilobytes per second to 2 Megabytes per second to anticipate and manage growing traffic requirements between its sites.”