[SatNews] The design life of the very first commercial communications satellite has now been met... The first Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) A2100 commercial communications satellite has achieved its 15-year design life of on-orbit service. Launched as GE-1 on Sept. 8, 1996, aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA rocket, the satellite is one of 37 operational A2100 commercial communications satellites. The A2100 fleet has accumulated 325 years of service in-orbit.

"The success of the A2100 satellite fleet is attributable to a focus on developing world-class, affordable and reliable communications satellites designed for ease of operations by our customers," said Global Communications Systems vice president and general manager Kevin Bilger. "We look forward to building on this success to continue to provide commercial and government customers with innovative systems solutions that meet their advanced communications needs."

The most recent A2100 spacecraft, BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R, was successfully launched Aug. 5 and will be handed over for service in September. BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R is the 38th commercial communications satellite delivered in the A2100 fleet and was jointly procured by the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, both of Japan. In addition to a rich legacy of deployed satellites in low Earth orbit, Lockheed Martin has built a total of 99 commercial geostationary Earth orbit communications satellites that have accumulated more than 950 years of years of service in space.

The Lockheed Martin A2100 satellite series is designed to meet a wide variety of communications needs including Ka-band broadband and broadcast services, fixed satellite services in C- and Ku-band, high-power direct broadcast services using the Ku- and Ka-band frequency and mobile satellite services using UHF, L-, and S-band. The A2100's modular design features simplified construction, increased on-orbit reliability and reduced weight and cost. The A2100 design accommodates a large range of communication payloads and serves as the platform for critical government communications programs, including the Advanced Extremely High Frequency and Mobile User Objective System satellites.

The A2100 spacecraft can also be configured for missions other than communications. It has been adapted for Lockheed Martin's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Series-R Earth observing mission and serves as the platform for Lockheed Martin's GPS III satellites.