Iridium to invest $13M to relocate Tysons HQ, add 117 jobs

Tysons-based global satellite communications company Iridium Communications will invest more than $13 million to move its headquarters in Fairfax County and create 117 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday.

The company will relocate its headquarters from its 35,000-square-foot space at 1750 Tysons Blvd. to a new 55,000-square-foot space at 1676 International Drive. Building renovations are underway, and the site is expected to be ready for use in March 2026.

The company says it needs larger headquarters to accommodate more employees and expand its services, such as protecting GPS against spoofing and jamming, as well as new initiatives to directly connect smartphones and other consumer devices to its satellite constellation.

“Iridium’s decision to expand its headquarters and create 117 new high-quality jobs in Virginia is a clear signal that the commonwealth remains the destination of choice for global technology companies,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The proximity and access to top-tier talent, world-class infrastructure and federal partners offers a strategic advantage to companies like Iridium that are redefining innovation and connectivity. We are proud to support Iridium’s growth in Virginia.”

The company currently employs 271 people throughout Virginia, of whom 126 report to the headquarters facility. The company says the new positions brought by the expansion will report to the new headquarters, bringing the workforce up to almost 400.

Iridium’s mobile voice and data satellite communications network is used in ships, planes and land vehicles and for Internet of Things systems. Its global customer base includes government, defense and public safety agencies as well as aviation, maritime, utilities, oil and gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation industries.

Company spokesperson Jordan Hassin said Iridium has a partner ecosystem of over 500 companies worldwide that integrate its tech into their products and services. Then they sell those products and services.

“The average person is not going to buy something directly from Iridium, but they would buy something from any one of the kind of retailers that we have all around the world or manufacturers of equipment,” he said.

In addition to its headquarters in Fairfax, Iridium also has a satellite and network operations center in Loudoun County. The company also has satellite operations and primary gateway and technical support centers in Arizona. It also has additional ground stations in Alaska, Chile and Norway.

Iridium CEO Matt Desch said in a statement that the Fairfax headquarters has the benefit of being in a centralized location just outside of the nation’s capital. He said the area “has many business-friendly benefits, from a corporate-friendly operating environment and convenience of two nearby major airports, to top institutions of higher education, a strong technology-focused industry presence and an excellent local talent pipeline.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Fairfax County Economic Development Authority on the project, and Youngkin approved a $400,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Fairfax with the project.

In 2024, Iridium reported a total revenue of $830.7 million, up 5% from 2023, and net income of $112.8 million, an improvement from $15.4 million in 2023.