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Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story - How a Single Man Saved the World's Largest Satellite Constellation From Fiery Destruction - Softcover
Synopsis
In the early 1990s, Motorola, the legendary American company, made a huge gamble on a revolutionary satellite telephone system called Iridium. Light-years ahead of anything previously put into space, and built on technology developed for Ronald Reagan's 'Star Wars,' Iridium's constellation of sixty-six satellites in six evenly spaced orbital planes meant that at least one satellite was always overhead.
Iridium was a mind-boggling technical accomplishment, surely the future of communication. The only problem was that Iridium was also a commercial disaster. Only months after launching service, it was $11 billion in debt, burning through $100 million a month and bringing in almost no revenue. Bankruptcy was inevitable - the largest to that point in American history. It looked like Iridium would go down as just a 'science experiment.'
That is, until Dan Colussy got a wild idea. Colussy, a former CEO of Pan Am, heard about Motorola's plans to 'de-orbit' the system and decided he would buy Iridium and somehow turn around one of the biggest blunders in the history of business.
Eccentric Orbits masterfully traces the birth of Iridium and Colussy's tireless efforts to stop it from being destroyed, from meetings with his motley investor group, to the Clinton White House, to the Pentagon, to the hunt for customers in special ops, shipping, aviation, mining, search and rescue. Impeccably researched and wonderfully told, Eccentric Orbits is a rollicking, unforgettable tale of technological achievement, business failure, the military-industrial complex and one of the greatest deals of all time.
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About the Author
John Bloom is a veteran investigative journalist, a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award and a Pulitzer Prize nominee. He is the author of nine books, including Evidence of Love, which won the Edgar Allan Poe Award. He lives in New York City.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherGrove Press UK
- Publication date2016
- ISBN 10 1611855357
- ISBN 13 9781611855357
- BindingPaperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Number of pages560
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Eccentric Orbits : The Iridium Story - How a Single Man Saved the World's Largest Satellite Constellation from Fiery Destruction
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Eccentric Orbits : The Iridium Story - How a Single Man Saved the World's Largest Satellite Constellation from Fiery Destruction
Published by
Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated, 2016
ISBN 10: 1611855357
ISBN 13: 9781611855357
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Eccentric Orbits
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ISBN 10: 1611855357
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Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story - How a Single Man Saved the World's Largest Satellite Constellation From Fiery Destruction
Published by
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ISBN 10: 1611855357
ISBN 13: 9781611855357
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Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story - How a Single Man Saved the World?s Largest Satellite Constellation From Fiery Destruction
Published by
Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press, 2016
ISBN 10: 1611855357
ISBN 13: 9781611855357
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Condition: New. The incredible story of Iridium - the most complex satellite system ever built, the cell phone of the future and one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in American history - and one man's desperate race to save it Num Pages: 560 pages, 1 x 16pp colour section. BIC Classification: KNT. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 160 x 235 x 43. Weight in Grams: 918. . 1998. Main. Paperback. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9781611855357
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ISBN 10: 1611855357
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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In the early 1990s, Motorola, the legendary American company, made a huge gamble on a revolutionary satellite telephone system called Iridium. Light-years ahead of anything previously put into space, and built on technology developed for Ronald Reagan's 'Star Wars,' Iridium's constellation of sixty-six satellites in six evenly spaced orbital planes meant that at least one satellite was always overhead.Iridium was a mind-boggling technical accomplishment, surely the future of communication. The only problem was that Iridium was also a commercial disaster. Only months after launching service, it was $11 billion in debt, burning through $100 million a month and bringing in almost no revenue. Bankruptcy was inevitable - the largest to that point in American history. It looked like Iridium would go down as just a 'science experiment.'That is, until Dan Colussy got a wild idea. Colussy, a former CEO of Pan Am, heard about Motorola's plans to 'de-orbit' the system and decided he would buy Iridium and somehow turn around one of the biggest blunders in the history of business.Eccentric Orbits masterfully traces the birth of Iridium and Colussy's tireless efforts to stop it from being destroyed, from meetings with his motley investor group, to the Clinton White House, to the Pentagon, to the hunt for customers in special ops, shipping, aviation, mining, search and rescue. Impeccably researched and wonderfully told, Eccentric Orbits is a rollicking, unforgettable tale of technological achievement, business failure, the military-industrial complex and one of the greatest deals of all time. The incredible story of Iridium - the most complex satellite system ever built, the cell phone of the future and one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in American history - and one man's desperate race to save it. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781611855357
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Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story - How a Single Man Saved the World s Largest Satellite Constellation From Fiery Destruction
Published by
Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press, 1998
ISBN 10: 1611855357
ISBN 13: 9781611855357
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Softcover
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Condition: New. The incredible story of Iridium - the most complex satellite system ever built, the cell phone of the future and one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in American history - and one man's desperate race to save it Num Pages: 560 pages, 1 x 16pp colour section. BIC Classification: KNT. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 160 x 235 x 43. Weight in Grams: 918. . 1998. Main. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9781611855357
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Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story - How a Single Man Saved the World's Largest Satellite Constellation From Fiery Destruction
Published by
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ISBN 10: 1611855357
ISBN 13: 9781611855357
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Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story - How a Single Man Saved the World's Largest Satellite Constellation From Fiery Destruction
Published by
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ISBN 10: 1611855357
ISBN 13: 9781611855357
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