Pre-launch preparations are now underway for the Japanese Superbird-7 satellite. Built by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation using their DS2000 bus, the satellite packs Ku-band capabilities and will occupy the orbital slot at 144° E. The satellite has now completed the fueling process. Superbird-7 will have a companion onboard the heavy lift Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle, that being SES AMERICOM's AMC-21 satellite. The launch will occur from the Spaceport in French Guiana. The Superbird-7 satellite is to replace the satellite operator Space Communications Corporations' current satellite and will bring a variety of telecom services into play.


The AMERICOM-21, known as AMC-21, will operate from the 125° W orbital slot and was built by Thales Alenia Space and incorporates the Orbital Sciences STAR-2 bus. This satellite will offer coverage of the Gulf of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean area and has a design life of 15 years. AMC-21 packs 24x36 MHz Ku-band transponders and has a receiver redundancy of 6 for 4.