EchoStar Satellite Operating Corporation –a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corp. (NASDAQ: SATS), a leading global satellite services provider and developer of hybrid video delivery technologies–has chosen Airbus Defence and Space, the world’s second largest space company, to construct the EchoStar 105 satellite.
This new satellite, providing EchoStar with 24 x 36 MHz Ku-band transponders, will be positioned at the 105 degrees West orbital position, offering comprehensive coverage of the Americas, including Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean. EchoStar has been providing satellite communications services to customers from this orbital position since 2006.
“The market for 50-state transponder capacity in North America has demonstrated significant growth for the EchoStar Satellite Services business unit over the past five years– the acquisition of EchoStar 105 renews our commitment to the fixed satellite services market in North America,” EchoStar Satellite Services President Anders Johnson said. “The replacement of AMC-15, with the increased capability offered by EchoStar 105, will allow us to meet the evolving demand from our customers for enterprise, broadcast, and government services applications. We are pleased to work with Airbus Defence and Space to provide our customers with new, high power satellite capacity at this established orbital slot.”
EchoStar 105 will be based on the Eurostar E3000 platform. Under an agreement between EchoStar and satellite operator SES, EchoStar 105 will be equipped with a payload of 24 C-band transponders, known as SES-11 and operated by SES. The launch of EchoStar 105/SES-11–which will have a separated mass of approximately 5,400 kg and an end of life electrical budget for the payloads of approximately 12 kW–is scheduled for the end of 2016.
“We are proud that an operator as renowned as EchoStar has chosen Airbus Defense and Space to build the EchoStar 105 satellite” said Francois Auque, Head of Space Systems. “I am extremely pleased to have won this commercial contract in the American market which is highly competitive. Owing to this latest success Airbus Defence and Space is the only satellite manufacturer supplying the world’s seven leading satellite operators.”
At the time of launch, EchoStar 105 will be the 27th spacecraft in EchoStar’s fleet of owned, leased and managed satellites.
About EchoStar
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is the premier global provider of satellite operations and video delivery solutions. EchoStar’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Hughes, is the world’s leading provider of satellite broadband services, delivering network technologies and managed services in more than 100 countries.
Headquartered in Englewood, CO, with additional business units world-wide, EchoStar is a multiple Emmy award-winning company that has pioneered advancements in the TV and satellite industries for nearly 30 years, consistently delivering value for customers, partners and investors. Over the last three decades EchoStar’s contribution to video technology has had a major influence on the way consumers view, receive and manage TV programming.
EchoStar’s consumer solutions include HughesNet®, North America’s #1 high-speed satellite Internet service, Dish Network’s highly acclaimed Hopper® DVR and Joey® product line, Sling Media’s Slingbox® products, and EchoStar’s line of advanced digital video set-top box products for the satellite and terrestrial viewer markets.
For more information, please visit www.echostar.com.
