PARIS — Sky Perfect JSat of Japan on April 17 said Space Systems/Loral (SSL) will build the operator’s Ku-band JCSat-15 and Ku-/Ka-band JCSat-16 telecommunications satellites, both for launch in 2016.
The announcement follows the June 2013 contract with Palo Alto, Calif.-based SSL for the JCSat-14 satellite, a contract win that replaced Lockheed Martin Space Systems, a long-preferred JSat supplier, with SSL.
Tokyo-based JSat said JCSat-15, an all Ku-band spacecraft, will replace the aging N-SAT-110 at 110 degrees east to provide television broadcasts for the company’s Sky PerfectTV! pay-television service.
The company said JCSat-16, carrying Ku- and Ka-band capacity, will be an in-orbit spare ready to provide service in the event of a problem with the company’s fleet, and to capture business expansion opportunities.
Unlike all of its direct competitors, SSL has little government business — aside from what it receives from its parent company, MDA Corp. of Canada — and relies on commercial orders to maintain the profitability of its recently expanded California production facility.
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