Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), the leading provider of commercial satellites, today announced that the Hispasat 1E satellite, designed and built for the HISPASAT Group, is performing post-launch maneuvers according to plan. The satellite deployed its solar arrays Wednesday afternoon, following its successful launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. Later today, it will fire its main thruster in order to begin maneuvering into geosynchronous orbit.
“Hispasat 1E is the fifth SS/L satellite to launch in 2010 and it marks another milestone in broadening the availability of entertainment, information and social services around the world,” said John Celli, president of Space Systems/Loral. “I would like to thank all of the excellent engineers and technicians at HISPASAT, Arianespace and SS/L, who have worked very hard to make this launch a success.”
Hispasat 1E will be positioned at 30 degrees West longitude following completion of in-orbit test. It has a total of 53 high-power Ku-band transponders and is designed to provide customers with Direct to Home Television (DTH), Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), value added broadband services in mobile, land and maritime environments, and high definition television (HDTV) in Europe, the Americas, and North Africa.
“With this new satellite, the second of five planned for the coming years, HISPASAT strengthens its leadership in Spanish and Portuguese markets,” said Petra Mateos, Chairman of HISPASAT. “My thanks to Space Systems/Loral, which has helped make an ambitious and complex idea, like the construction of the Hispasat 1E satellite, a reality. The Hispasat 1E satellite is a very technologically advanced, high performance satellite that includes a significant participation by the Spanish space industry, with high-technology returns for the sector.”
Hispasat 1E is based on the highly reliable Space Systems/Loral 1300 space-proven platform which is designed with the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances. With this launch, Space Systems/Loral now has 65 geostationary satellites on orbit.
About HISPASAT
HISPASAT is the seventh company in the world by revenue in the sector and a leader in the dissemination and distribution of content in Spanish and Portuguese. With more than 1,150 television and radio channels, including the contents of major digital platforms of Direct to Home (DTH) and High Definition Television (HDTV), the Group is the main communication link between Europe and America.
For more information, visit www.hispasat.com.
About Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (Nasdaq:LORL – News), 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.
