It is a $4 billion system that was developed to connect calls around the world via 66 small satellites in low earth orbit
It uses 66 small satellites in low earth orbit
Motorola was instrumental in the development of the Iridium project
Motorola was instrumental in the development of the Iridium project
It is a $4 billion system
Iridium has no uses at home.
It takes that many to provide complete coverage of the Earth, including the polar regions.
Calling an iridium satellite phone depends upon which country one is calling from. If one is calling from the United States, he/she must dial the prefixes 011--8816 followed by the eight digit phone number. However, if one is calling from a country such as Germany or Mexico, he/she would instead use the prefixes 00-8816. Australia, for instance, uses the prefixes 0011-8816 to dial an iridium satellite phone.
Yes
Probably no use.
Yes
Yes
Sunlight reflecting off a satellite. Or a meteor. There is a set of satellites that provide service to the Iridium Satellite Phone system. The Iridium satellites are solar powered and have very large solar power panels. When the Sun's light reflects from those panels back to Earth, it's a very bright flash that lasts for a few seconds. These are "Iridium flares", and there are websites that allow you to look up the expected times and locations of Iridium flares. ================== Even a star can appear like a star and dissapear in the blink of an eye due to refraction but can again reappear.