MCLEAN, Va., May 20, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) announces the winners of its Iridium NEXT Mission Team Scholarship program for the 2014-2015 academic year. Now in its third year, the endowment will award a total of $50,000 to five aspiring aerospace engineers to complete their college education.

The winners of the 2014 Iridium NEXT Mission Team Scholarship are:

• Craig Babiarz, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Champaign, Ill.
• Gerald Andrews, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
• Matthew Arnott, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
• Nanmwa Dala, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
• Aaron Becks, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio                                               

"We are very excited to see the caliber of students that applied for this year's Iridium NEXT Mission Team scholarship," said Scott Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Iridium.  "Over the past three years, we've given scholarships to 11 very deserving individuals and I look forward to seeing the contributions that they make to the industry in return. We believe that companies must invest in the next generation of great leaders, and I hope that one of the students will work alongside us on the Iridium NEXT constellation once their studies are complete."

The Iridium NEXT Mission Team, an innovative group of partners that are developing the company's next-generation satellite constellation, represents the contributions of the best and brightest minds in today's aerospace industry. The scholarship fund was created to support the education and development of aerospace students. Along with contributions from Iridium, the 2014-2015 program is being funded by Iridium NEXT Mission Team members including SpaceX, Thales Alenia Space, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, SEAKR and MDA.  

Iridium NEXT is the largest commercial space program underway today.  With the support of its Mission Team partners, Iridium anticipates the first scheduled satellite launch of the new constellation in 2015.

To learn more about Iridium NEXT and the Iridium NEXT Mission Team Scholarship please visit http://www.iridium.com/About/IridiumNEXT.aspx.   

About Iridium Communications Inc.

Iridium® is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. The company has a major development program underway for its next-generation network - Iridium NEXT. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium products, services and partner solutions, visit www.iridium.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not purely historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition to historical facts, this press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties such as those, among others, relating to Iridium's expectations regarding the timing of launch of Iridium NEXT. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties associated with the development and deployment of Iridium NEXT, as well as general industry and economic conditions, and competitive, legal, governmental and technological factors. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements include those factors listed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on May 1, 2014, as well as other filings Iridium makes with the SEC from time to time. There is no assurance that Iridium's expectations will be realized. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if Iridium's underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected, estimated or projected. Iridium's forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Iridium undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements.

CONTACT: Press Contacts:

         

         Ashley Eames

         Iridium Communications Inc.

         +1 (703) 287-7476

         ashley.eames@iridium.com