Iridium Satellite LLC said its constellation of low-earth-orbit communications satellites has achieved a world record of more than 500 satellite-years of in-orbit performance. The company’s initial satellites launched in 1997-1998 and began service in 1998. Boeing operates the satellite constellation under a long-term contract.

Dannie Stamp, chief of operations at Iridium said in a prepared statement, “This is a significant milestone, which no other satellite system has achieved. It is a testimony to the outstanding engineering in the original Iridium satellite designs, the extraordinary work our industry partners have done to develop hardware and software improvements. This combined results in extended lifespans beyond original design expectations.”