Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) (NASDAQ: LORL), the leading provider of commercial satellites, and Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), Asia’s leading satellite operator, today announced the signing of two construction agreements for two communications satellites, AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8.
“We are committed to expanding our fleet in order to provide a broader range of services to meet increasing market demands for quality satellite capacity in this region,” said William Wade, President and Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat. “Our experience with Space Systems/Loral has been very positive and we look forward to continuing to work together to serve our customers with some of the world’s best communications satellites.”
The contracts include AsiaSat 6 with a C-band payload and AsiaSat 8, with both Ku-band and Ka-band. The two satellites will serve Asia, the Middle East and Australasia and are designed on the decade’s proven SS/L 1300 satellite platform which provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications and technology advances. The satellites are planned to be launched by early 2014.
“AsiaSat and Space Systems/Loral both share a commitment to excellent performance and the highest quality service,” said John Celli, President of Space Systems/Loral. “We delivered AsiaSat 5 in 2009 and AsiaSat 7 was shipped one month ahead of schedule and is currently at launch base in preparation for launch on November 26. I can think of no better endorsement of our success than a repeat order from a satisfied customer.”
With these new contracts Space Systems/Loral has secured six satellite contract awards for 2011.
AsiaSat 6 will have 28 high-power C-band transponders while AsiaSat 8 will have 24 Ku-band transponders and a Ka-band beam. The high-power transponders on the satellite will enable the use of small antennas on the ground.
About AsiaSat
AsiaSat, the leading regional satellite operator in Asia, serves over two-thirds of the world’s population with its three satellites, AsiaSat 3S at 105.5oE, AsiaSat 4 at 122oE and AsiaSat 5 at 100.5oE. The AsiaSat satellite fleet provides services to both the broadcast and telecommunications industries. Over 500 television and radio channels are now delivered by the company’s satellites offering access to over 620 million TV households across the Asia-Pacific region. AsiaSat also provides telecommunications operators and end users services such as voice networks, private VSAT networks and broadband multimedia. AsiaSat’s new satellite AsiaSat 7 is currently in preparation for launch from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on 26 November 2011. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, a company listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (Stock Code: 1135). For more information, please visit www.asiasat.com.
About Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (NASDAQ: LORL), has a long history of delivering reliable satellites and spacecraft systems for commercial and government customers around the world. As the world’s leading provider of commercial satellites, the company works closely with satellite operators to provide spacecraft for a broad range of services including television and radio distribution, digital audio radio, broadband Internet, and mobile communications. Billions of people around the world depend on SS/L satellites every day. For more information, visit www.ssloral.com.
About Loral Space & Communications
Loral Space & Communications is a satellite communications company. Through its Space Systems/Loral subsidiary, the company is a world-class leader in the design and manufacture of satellites and satellite systems for commercial and government applications including direct-to-home television, broadband communications, wireless telephony, weather monitoring, and air traffic management. Loral also owns 64 percent of Telesat, one of the world’s largest providers of satellite services. Telesat operates a fleet of telecommunications satellites used to broadcast video entertainment programming, distribute direct-to-home video and broadband data services, and other value-added communications services. For more information, visit Loral’s Web site at www.loral.com.
