Intelsat S.A. has expanded its April 2009 agreement for UHF hosted payload services with the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The ADF exercised its option to purchase the remainder of the specialized UHF communications payload that Intelsat is integrating within its Intelsat 22 satellite, scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2012.

This announcement follows the historic Memorandum of Understanding signing between the Commonwealth of Australia and the United States, under the terms of which UHF communications resources will be shared between the two countries. The Intelsat 22 satellite, which will be positioned at 72 degrees East, will provide optimal coverage for growing opportunities for enterprise networks, mobility and defense-related applications.