Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR) today announced that it has begun production on a Legion-class geostationary satellite for Ovzon, a company located in the United States and Sweden dedicated to meeting the demand for increased mobile broadband connectivity in underserved regions.
Ovzon selected Maxar in December 2018 to build its first satellite, Ovzon 3, which will provide extremely versatile mobile broadband communications for small vehicles, aircraft and users on-the-move. Now that Ovzon has secured financing to build the satellite, Maxar will begin building it in its Palo Alto, California manufacturing facility. The satellite will be based on the mid-size Legion-class platform, formerly called the SSL-500, and is expected to be launched by SpaceX in 2021.
“Maxar’s Legion-class platform offers the benefits of the company’s proven technology and performance from the 1300-class satellite bus with a lower cost and smaller form factor,” said Megan Fitzgerald, Maxar’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, Space Solutions. “We’re delighted to collaborate closely with Ovzon on the development of the first satellite in their architecture, which will deliver better communications from space for a better world here on Earth.”
“We chose Maxar to build Ovzon 3 because they have a strong reputation of delivering world-class, reliable products backed by industry leading customer service and manufacturing agility. Ovzon 3 is an important first step towards fulfilling our strategy to further revolutionize mobile broadband by satellite, offering the highest bandwidth with the smallest terminals,” said Magnus René, Chief Executive Officer of Ovzon.
The operations of DigitalGlobe, SSL and Radiant Solutions were unified under the Maxar brand in February; MDA continues to operate as an independent business unit within the Maxar organization.
About Maxar Technologies
As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial and government markets. The operations of DigitalGlobe, SSL and Radiant Solutions were unified under the Maxar brand in February; MDA continues to operate as an independent business unit within the Maxar organization. As a trusted partner with 5,900 employees in over 30 global locations, Maxar provides vertically integrated capabilities and expertise including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. Every day, billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.
About Ovzon
Ovzon offers a revolutionary mobile broadband service via satellite combining high bandwidth with highly mobile terminals – offering speeds up to 80 times faster than competing services. Applications include real-time sensor and video upload, either from moving or highly mobile platforms, including small vehicles, small aircraft or UAVs, or directly from users on-site transmitting on-the-go. Ovzon is headquartered in Solna, Sweden and has offices in Tampa, FL and Bethesda, MD in the United States. The share (OVZON) is traded on Nasdaq First North Premier, FNCA Sweden AB is the company’s Certified Adviser. Read more on www.ovzon.com.
