Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has been awarded a contract by Nordic Satellite
AB (NSAB) to build their next geostationary direct broadcast satellite,
designated SIRIUS 4. NSAB is 75%-owned by SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company
(Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG).
From its final orbital location at 5 degrees East, SIRIUS 4 will provide
distribution of direct-to-home broadcast and interactive services across
Scandinavia, Europe and Africa following its scheduled launch in the first
half of 2007. Contract terms were not disclosed.
Based on Lockheed Martin’s award-winning A2100AX platform, SIRIUS 4 features
52 active Ku-band high-power and two active Ka-band transponders. SIRIUS 4
is expected to provide more than 15 years of service life. Lockheed Martin
is currently also building two satellites for SES ASTRA: ASTRA-1KR and
ASTRA-1L, which are planned for launch in September 2005 and the fourth
quarter of 2006, respectively.
“We are extremely gratified that yet another operator within the SES GLOBAL
Group has turned to Lockheed Martin to provide a powerful, reliable
satellite designed to fulfill all mission requirements,” said Ted Gavrilis,
president, Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS). “By leveraging
our experience on ASTRA-1KR/1L and other programs, we are able to provide
our customer with confidence that SIRIUS 4 will be delivered on schedule
while meeting the stringent quality requirements demanded of the industry
and demonstrated by the A2100 platform.”
SIRIUS 4 marks the first satellite order for LMCSS for 2005 and the first
competitive contract awarded this year. Last year, LMCSS was selected for a
total of eight satellite awards, the most in the industry for 2004,
including an order from JSAT Corp. for the JCSAT-10 satellite, an order from
Rainbow DBS Company LLC for five satellites designated Rainbow Ka-1 through
Ka-5, and two orders to be announced at a later date.
“The procurement of the state-of-the-art SIRIUS 4 satellite with Lockheed
Martin gives NSAB’s existing customers long-term planning security and
positions the company to capture new growth opportunities in emerging
markets in Europe and the CIS,” said Per Norman, General Manager of NSAB.
“With SIRIUS 4’s African beam complementing existing or planned coverage of
Africa within the SES GLOBAL fleet, the spacecraft is furthermore another
example of fruitful synergies between SES GLOBAL Operating and Partner
companies.”
Lockheed Martin’s series of A2100 geostationary spacecraft are designed to
meet a wide variety of telecommunications needs ranging from high-power Ka,
Ku and C-band fixed satellite and direct broadcast services to high power
mobile satellite services using the L- and S-band frequency spectrum. The
heritage A2100’s modular design features flight-proven equipment, thus
simplifying construction, shortening delivery schedule, and increasing
on-orbit reliability.
Recently, Lockheed Martin’s A2100 telecommunications satellite series
received an industry award for reliability for the second consecutive year.
Frost & Sullivan’s 2004 Satellite Reliability Award was given to LMCSS for
excellence in the production of flexible and reliable communications
satellites used in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO).
About NSAB
Nordic Satellite AB (NSAB-SIRIUS) owns and operates satellites in the SIRIUS
system (SIRIUS 2 and 3). SIRIUS is a leading satellite system that offers
cost-effective solutions for TV and radio broadcasts and broadband services
in the Nordic and Baltic regions and in Central and Eastern Europe. The
satellites are positioned at 5 degrees east and offer extremely reliable
connections throughout Europe. For further information, please visit:
www.nsab-sirius.com
