WASHINGTON — Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket will launch the all-Ka-band Jabiru-1 telecommunications satellite for startup operator NewSat of Australia in late 2014 under a contract that Ariane 5 operator Arianespace announced March 13.
The 5,900-kilogram Jabiru-1 is expected to have a capacity of 7.6 gigahertz distributed among 50 transponders feeding 24 spot beams. The satellite, under construction by Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif., will be stationed in the Indian Ocean region at an orbital slot that Southbank-based NewSat has yet to specify.
NewSat officials have said they would seek financing from the U.S. and French export-credit agencies.
