Satnews Daily
May 10th, 2010
Thales Alenia Space... Both A Primary + A Backup Role
APSTAR 7B will serve as a back-up satellite for the Apstar-7 launch, which Thales Alenia Space is currently building under contract with APT. The satellite is to be designed to provide reliable broadcasting and telecommunications services over an hemispheric coverage, the Asia Pacific Region, as well as the MENA area. Based on Thales Alenia Space’s Spacebus 4000 C2 platform, APSTAR 7B has technical characteristics similar to Apstar 7 and is expected to have a minimum of 15 years lifetime.