ORBCOMM and SpaceX (News - Alert) (Space Exploration Technologies) have announced a revised launch schedule for ORBCOMM's second generation OG2 satellites. The updated plan pulls two ORBCOMM (News - Alert) satellites from SpaceX's February COTS 2/3 space station supply demo and puts one instead on SpaceX's Cargo Resupply Service (CRS) mission in mid-2012, with additional satellites launched between late 2012 through 2014 on Falcon 9 rockets.

According to the joint press release sent out on December 29, " SpaceX will fully verify the mission performance on the COTS mission and focus on the successful berthing of the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS).

Initially, SpaceX had talked about launching the first two OG2 satellites as a secondary payload on the COTS 2/3 demonstration flight, but it isn't clear if NASA nixed the idea due to safety concerns or if ORBCOMM and SpaceX engaged in a more extensive round of horse-trading since the ORBCOMM satellites have been waiting for a SpaceX ride to orbit for about a year or so. 

Under the updated plan, the first OG2 "prototype" satellite will go up on SpaceX's first CRS mission, followed by an additional launch of two OG2 satellites into a high inclination orbit as a secondary payload in late 2012. In early 2013, SpaceX plans to launch eight to twelve OG2 satellites, with the remainder of the constellation of 18 OG2 satellites expected to be launched in 2014.

ORBCOMM says the fielding of the two spacecraft towards the second half of 2012, it will be able to get increased coverage and reducing risk by spreading out the deployment over multiple launches. The inclusion of two OG2 satellites on a high inclination orbit will enable ORBCOMM to "significantly improve" messaging services in the polar regions, as well as provide the ability to test and verify satellite performance before the primary launch of eight to twelve OG2 satellites.

The 2013 Falcon 9 launch with eight to twelve OG2 satellites as its primary mission will be optimized to ensure the best coverage for the OG2 messaging services. Several satellites are expected to be directly inserted into a specific plane to improve message services while other satellites will be put into a transfer orbit and drift to their final orbital location. ORBCOMM expects the drifting operation will take several months to occur and that the satellites will be functional and providing message services during their drift period.

ORBCOMM focuses on machine to machine (M2M) communications, providing low-cost and reliable two-way data communications services to track, monitor, and control mobile and fixed assets in four core markets: commercial transportation; heavy equipment; industrial fixed assets; and marine/homeland security.  The company's products are installed on trucks, containers, marine vessels, locomotives, backhoes, pipelines, oil wells, utility meters, storage tanks and other assets. It also is a leading provider of Automated Identification Services (AIS) for broadcasting ship vessel identification and position.