The satellite will be launched at 10.16 am (CET) by a Zenit-3SL rocket operating from the Sea Launch platform, positioned at the equator in the Pacific Ocean. The SICRAL 1B program is under the joint responsibility of Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, partners in the space alliance for their parent companies, Finmeccanica and Thales. Once it is in geostationary orbit at about 36,000 km, SICRAL 1B will provide strategic and tactical communications services for the Italian armed forces, both in Italy and abroad, as well as ensuring mobile communications with land, naval, and air platforms. The satellite will also provide NATO forces with UHF and SHF satcom capabilities, based on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2004 by the Italian, French, and British ministries of defence and the Atlantic Alliance.
SICRAL 1B is the second satellite in the SICRAL program, following the launch of SICRAL 1 in 200, and will expand in-orbit communications capacity to meet the evolving military satellite communications requirements of both Italy and NATO. The new satellite has a design life of 13 years. Thales Alenia Space was the prime and was in charge of developing the system and building the SICRAL 1B satellite as well as in charge of parts of the ground segment, including the Telecommunications Control Center in Vigna di Valle, Italy. Telespazio is responsible for the satellite launch services, the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) and testing as well as for managing the ground segment (Satellite Control Center in Vigna di Valle and the Space Center in Fucino). The SICRAL 1B program is a public-private partnership between the Italian Ministry of Defence and Finmeccanica. Based on this agreement, Telespazio contributed a significant part of the direct costs of the SICRAL 1B program, giving it part of the satellite’s capacity. Telespazio can, therefore, take on the role of satellite operator in selling capacity and services to NATO and to the European and U.S. defence markets.