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Space Systems/Loral and Intelsat Finalize Design of Intelsat Americas-9 |
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PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 2/Satnews Daily/ ¾ Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) said it has reached agreement with Intelsat LLC for the design of Intelsat Americas-9 (IA-9), a high-power, C- and Ku-band satellite that will provide service to North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
With the agreement, SS/L had also been authorized to proceed with the manufacture of IA-9 immediately, in accordance with the contract entered into by the two firms in March 2004.
The satellite's hybrid C- and Ku-band communications payload carries a total of 44 operating transponders, selectable among 62 discrete frequencies, providing a total of 1,944 MHz of downlink capacity. Coverage areas are provided by fixed C- and Ku-band antennas, in addition to an adjustable Ku-band spot beam that can be positioned anywhere on the earth's surface visible from the satellite's orbital position.
The satellite is designed to operate from any of Intelsat's orbital locations from 77 degrees West longitude to 129 degrees West longitude.
The satellite is scheduled for delivery to Intelsat in 2007 and has a design life of 13 years. IA-9 will become Intelsat's newest satellite covering North America and the thirty-second spacecraft built by SS/L for the international satellite services provider. The Loral-built Intelsat Americas-8 is currently scheduled for launch in December 2004.
The satellite is based on SS/L's 1300 geostationary satellite platform, which has a long and proven record of reliable operation. Currently, there are 47 SS/L 1300 satellites on-orbit, performing a variety of critical communications functions. Recent Stories: Intelsat Completes Acquisition of Comsat |
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