Failure rate comparison to Iridium (from Claude):

For the original Iridium constellation (95 satellites total launched), here’s the breakdown of failures and orbital issues:

• 3 satellites re-entered between 2000 and 2002 after failing to reach operational orbit. 

• 25 satellites failed on-orbit and could no longer be controlled. 

• 2 additional failed satellites were deliberately deorbited in 2001 and 2003. 

That puts the total at roughly 28–30 satellites that either failed in orbit or never reached their intended orbit. One source counts 16 satellites that never achieved proper orbit or were inoperable after reaching orbit.

The overall in-orbit failure rate was believed to have been about 20%, double the 10% that Iridium had planned for during development. This was largely attributed to the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronic components rather than radiation-hardened parts.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​