Hear from Rocket Lab CEO - Sir Peter Beck, Iridium CEO - Matt Desch and Rocket Lab CFO - Adam Spice about Rocket Lab's latest acquisition.
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What Matthew Desch said
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Matthew Desch, CEO of Iridium, said the acquisition by Rocket Lab is an exciting day in Iridium's history, noting that millions depend on its services for tracking and communication in aviation, maritime, and critical infrastructure. He highlighted growth areas including aviation safety, trusted time and location, IoT, and government missions. Desch argued that combining with Rocket Lab is the best way to take Iridium's experience forward, enabling cost-effective launch and sustainment of new services like next-generation PNT and transforming pilot communications. He described the combination as creating a fully integrated, self-launching global space power, and said the complementary strengths make the combined entity a force to be reckoned with. Desch did not provide additional financial details or commitments beyond these strategic statements.
Key takeaways
Desch said combining with Rocket Lab is the best way to take Iridium's experience into the future.
Desch highlighted growth in aviation safety, trusted time and location, IoT, and government missions.
Desch said the deal enables cost-effective launch of next-generation PNT and pilot communications.
Hi and welcome to the Rocket Lab investor update. My name is Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab. We're talking about Rocket Lab's acquisition of Iridium Communications. First, let me introduce the space application equation. You need spectrum, it takes time to build satellites, and it takes time to establish a business. We found a shortcut: acquiring Iridium. This is one of the most transformative deals in space. It combines Rocket Lab's launch and satellite manufacturing with Iridium's global network and rare L-band spectrum. Iridium is critical for pilots, mariners, first responders, and governments. It has 66 operational satellites, 14 spares, over $800 million in revenue, 2.5 million users, and it's profitable. The equation is 1+1=3: we become a self-launching space superpower. Spectrum is key, and Iridium's global L-band spectrum is rare and penetrates weather. This is a smart deal that is accretive to our bottom line. We will absorb and scale Iridium. Our future in space applications is unlocked. Now I want to throw it over to Matt, CEO of Iridium.
Thank you, Peter. This is an exciting day in the long history of Iridium. We've built one of the most successful service platforms in space. Millions depend on us to track and communicate with assets in aviation, maritime, and critical infrastructure. We're focused on growth in aviation safety, trusted time and location, IoT, and supporting government missions. Combining with Rocket Lab is the best way to take our experience into the future. Together we can cost-effectively launch and sustain new services like next-generation PNT and transforming pilot communications. Our complement makes us a force to be reckoned with. Today represents Iridium combining with Rocket Lab to create a fully integrated, self-launching global space power. Now over to you, Adam.
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