The AMC-11 telecommunications satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin
for SES AMERICOM, was successfully launched today from Cape
Canaveral aboard a Lockheed Martin-built Atlas IIAS rocket provided by
International Launch Services (ILS). Initial contact with the satellite,
called acquisition of signal, was confirmed at 7:26 p.m. EDT from the Lockheed
Martin satellite tracking station in Uralla, Australia.
AMC-11 carries 24 36 MHz C-band transponders and will be used to provide
cable television services to all 50 U.S. states, Mexico and the Caribbean.
AMC-11 will take the place of Satcom C-3 at orbital location 131 degrees West
Longitude, expanding SES-AMERICOM’s world-wide fleet of satellites, which
provide global distribution of cable, broadcast television and radio
programming, mobile communications, business television, broadband data and
telecommunications services. Based on the award-winning A2100 satellite
series manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, Newtown, Pa.,
AMC-11 has a design life of 15 years and represents the 24th straight
successful A2100 launch for customers world-wide.
“We are proud to share in the success of the launch of AMC-11, the
culmination of great teamwork and planning with a premier customer, SES-
AMERICOM,” said LMCSS President Ted Gavrilis. “AMC-11 is the second of four
satellites that Lockheed Martin will deliver to SES-AMERICOM this year, and
underscores our long-term commitment to providing the best and most reliable
satellites in the industry. And thanks to our colleagues at ILS and the
Lockheed Martin launch team for proving, once again, the reliability of
Atlas.”
“AMC-11 completes our HD-PRIME neighborhood — the satellite neighborhood
that reaches every cable household in the U.S. and features the best high
definition programming,” said Dean Olmstead, President and CEO of SES
AMERICOM. He continued, “AMC-11 will be the twelfth A2100 in the AMERICOM
fleet, so our expectations of AMERICOM and our customers are very high. An
extraordinary combination of experts from Lockheed Martin, AMERICOM and our
key cable customers, worked together to ensure that both AMC-10, which became
operational two weeks ago, and AMC-11 are the best satellites for today’s
services as well as tomorrow’s.”
The Lockheed Martin A2100 geosynchronous spacecraft series is designed to
meet a wide variety of telecommunications needs ranging from Ka-band/broadband
services and fixed satellite services in a C-band and Ku-band payload
configuration, high-power direct broadcast services using the Ku-band
frequency spectrum, and S-band payloads. The A2100’s modular design features
a reduction in parts, simplified construction, increased on-orbit reliability
and reduced weight and cost.
In recognition of the A2100’s reliability, Lockheed Martin received a 2003
award for “Product of the Year,” by Frost & Sullivan. Calling it “the most
reliable and efficient of its class,” Frost & Sullivan recognized the LMCSS-
built A2100 satellite platform for its “outstanding on-orbit reliability
record since it was first offered in 1996.”
About SES AMERICOM
The largest supplier of satellite services in the U.S., SES AMERICOM, Inc.
is recognized as a pioneer of global satellite communications services.
Established in 1973 with its first satellite circuit for the U.S. Department
of Defense, the company currently operates a fleet of 16 spacecraft in orbital
positions predominantly providing service throughout the Americas. As a member
of the SES GLOBAL family (Euronext Paris, Luxembourg and Frankfurt Stock
Exchanges: SESG), SES AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end
telecommunications solutions to any region in the world. In 2001, the company
established AMERICOM Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary dedicated
to providing satellite-based communications solutions to both civilian and
defense agencies of the U.S. government. In 2003, SES AMERICOM formed
WORLDSAT, a wholly owned subsidiary that markets capacity on four satellites
covering Asia, and the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean regions, and connecting
premier regional satellite fleets. With its combined operations, SES AMERICOM
serves broadcasters, cable programmers, aeronautical and maritime
communications integrators, Internet service providers, mobile communications
networks, government agencies, educational institutions, carriers and secure
global data networks with efficient communication and content distribution
solutions.
About International Launch Services (ILS)
ILS is a Lockheed Martin joint venture that markets and manages government
and commercial missions on the Atlas rocket to customers worldwide. The
company is headquartered in McLean, Va., near Washington, D.C. The Atlas
rockets and their Centaur upper stages are built by Lockheed Martin Space
Systems Co. in Denver, Colo.; Harlingen, Texas; and San Diego, Calif.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000
people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems,
products and services. The Corporation reported 2003 sales of $31.8 billion.
Media Contacts: Dee Valleras, 215-275-1874; e-mail, dee.valleras@lmco.com
For more information about Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, see
our web site at www.lmcommercialspace.com.
