Now, because the telecommunications company that launched the 66 iridium satellites has gone bankrupt, the satellites are being destroyed. Over the coming months, the Iridium LLC Co. plans to de-orbit all of its 66 satellites. This is a responsible move by the company designed to reduce the amount of debris in orbit about the Earth.
Space junk poses a continuous hazard to both operational satellites and manned space missions.
In fact, in the early 1990s, NASA management deemed it necessary that any satellite, having a debris field greater than 8 square meters when it eventually fell from its orbit, would have to have a controlled-reentry plan as part of its design. The armada of Iridium satellites acted as a relay system for satellite-telephone calls around the world. A specially built transmitter and receiver device allowed the user to both make and receive a phone call from just about anywhere on the globe - in view of the 66 satellites. The problem was that these devices were both unwieldy and expensive. The convenience of being able to make a call from even the most remote location was outweighed by the expense and the bulk.