[SatNews] “This last year has been one of great success and tremendous growth.”
Spacecom (Tel Aviv Stock Exchange: SCC), operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) today announced that plans are on time for the scheduled launch of the AMOS-6 communications satellite on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle in mid-2015.
The announcement was made by top executives from both companies at a festive ceremony held at the U.S. Ambassador to Israel's residence outside of Tel Aviv. SpaceX's Falcon 9 will insert the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) where it will significantly increase Spacecom's offerings from its 4°W 'hot spot,' current home to the AMOS-2 and AMOS-3 constellation.
AMOS-6, with a 16 year scheduled life span, will replace AMOS-2, which ends service in 2016 and expand territories under current service by adding Western Europe and parts of Africa to existing Central and Eastern Europe and Middle East coverage. The new 9KW satellite will offer 39 Ku-band segments and 24 Ka-band broadband beams to provide a wide array of services. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is responsible for planning, manufacturing, preparing for launch and providing ground control operations for AMOS-6.
"We are excited to partner with SpaceX and its tremendous team. AMOS-6 will be larger and stronger than AMOS-2 and AMOS-3 combined, and signals a new age for Spacecom," commented David Pollack, president and CEO of Spacecom. "As we establish our position as a global satellite operator providing more services and capacity, AMOS-6 will be a key element of our business strategy and future."
“This last year has been one of great success and tremendous growth,” said Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX. “Spacecom was one of our earliest supporters—SpaceX is proud to be their partner and we look forward to launching their AMOS-6 satellite.”
SpaceX's Falcon 9 is a medium-to-heavy lift, two-stage launch vehicle capable of lifting approximately 11 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) and in excess of 4.5 tons to GTO. Designed to the highest levels of reliability and performance, Falcon 9, along with SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, was selected by NASA to resupply the International Space Station starting in 2010.