Hughes Space and Communications Company (HSC), the world’s largest satellite manufacturer, has received a contract for a new Hughes 601HP spacecraft from Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Ltd. (AsiaSat) of Hong Kong. Financial details were not disclosed. "Our relationship with AsiaSat spans a decade, and we are pleased to continue this important relationship," said Tig H. Krekel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hughes Space and Communications Company. "Our commitment to AsiaSat and the services it provides to the people of Asia and other areas remains firm."
 
The satellite, to be called AsiaSat 4, will provide broadcast,
telecommunications and broadband multimedia services to the Asia Pacific region, and direct-to-home broadcast services to Hong Kong, from its orbital position of 122 degrees East longitude. The contracted service life for AsiaSat 4 is 15 years. The 8-kilowatt spacecraft will carry a total of 58 transponders, 28 active and six spare in C-band, and 20 active and four spare in Ku-band. AsiaSat will make launch arrangements separately.
 
"We are very excited to add a new satellite to our fleet," said Peter Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat. "The procurement of AsiaSat 4 marks another major milestone in AsiaSat’s expanding satellite service for the Asia Pacific region. This satellite will be positioned at 122 degrees East, and we look forward to meeting the future demand for
satellite-delivered applications by exploring opportunities at this new orbital location."
 
HSC also built AsiaSat 1, a Hughes 376 spin-stabilized model that was launched in 1990, and AsiaSat 3S, a Hughes 601HP that was successfully launched on a Proton rocket in March 1999.
 
HSC is the world’s leading manufacturer of communications satellites, having built nearly 40 percent of the world’s commercial communications satellites currently in operation. It also supplies spacecraft for communications and space exploration to the U.S. government, and builds weather satellites for the United States and Japan. HSC is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. The earnings of Hughes Electronics, a unit of General Motors, are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to the General Motors Class H common stock (NYSE:GMH).