Loral and MELCO to Build High-Powered Satellite for Cable & Wireless Optus
Saturday October 23, 8:00 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 1999--Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space &
Communications (NYSE:LOR - news), today announced that the company, as system associate contractor with Mitsubishi
Electric Corporation (MELCO), has been awarded a contract to build a high-powered communications satellite for Cable &
Wireless Optus of Australia and the Australian Department of Defence.
The satellite, Optus C1, is a third-generation system designed to replace an existing spacecraft in the Optus communications
constellation, and to provide additional, enhanced capabilities when it is launched in 2002.
Cable & Wireless Optus, a major Australian telephone and communications company, will use Optus C1 to provide
distribution for video, direct-to-home TV, and telephony and Internet connections to remote areas. The area of fixed satellite
services coverage includes Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Optus C1 will also provide communications services for the
Australian Defence Forces.
To provide these services, Optus C1, a high-powered model in SS/L's 1300 geostationary satellite bus family, will carry 18
antennas and four payloads: a Ku-band payload for the commercial mission, and UHF, X-, and Ka-band payloads for the
defense tasks. Total power on the satellite, designed to operate for 15 years, will be approximately 11kW at end of life. Optus
C1 will have a launch mass of nearly five metric tons.
SS/L is responsible for the overall system design, and the design of the satellite bus and will assemble, integrate, and test the
satellite. As prime contractor, MELCO will be responsible for the design, manufacture, and test of the payload.
``MELCO and SS/L have an excellent working relationship developed over a span of more than 27 years, beginning with the
CS1 satellite, built for Japan's National Space Development Agency, the equivalent of our NASA,' said Dr. John M.
Klineberg, president of SS/L. ``We look forward to the productive continuation of our long-standing affiliation.' MELCO and
SS/L have cooperated on programs such as: Intelsat 5, 5A, 7/7A, Agila 2, EchoStar, PanAmSat 7 and 8, and Tempo.
According to Dr. Klineberg, the Optus C1, one of the most complex commercial communications satellite projects to date,
represents a pioneering example of cooperation on a spacecraft intended for joint commercial-defense use.
Space Systems/Loral, headquartered in Palo Alto, is a leading designer, manufacturer, and systems integrator of both
geostationary (GEO) and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, with more than 40 spacecraft currently in backlog. The company is
the prime contractor for the Globalstar constellation of global telephony LEO satellites. Its GEO communications satellites
include direct-broadcast, multi-media, broadband, and digital audio radio spacecraft; it also builds environmental science,
weather- watch, and air traffic control satellites. SS/L is ISO 9001 certified. For more information, visit Space Systems/Loral's
web site at ssloral.com
Loral Space & Communications is a high technology company that primarily concentrates on satellite manufacturing and
satellite-based services, including broadcast transponder leasing and value-added services, domestic and international
corporate data networks, global wireless telephony, broadband data transmission and content services, Internet services, and
international direct-to-home satellite services. For more information, visit Loral's web site at www.loral.com.
Contact:
Loral Space & Communications
Jeanette Clonan, 212/338-5658
More Quotes and News:
Loral Space & Communications Ltd (NYSE:LOR - news)
Related News Categories: aerospace/defense, computers, government, telecom
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