PARIS — Orbital Sciences Corp. will build the Intelsat 23 telecommunications satellite for satellite-fleet operator Intelsat in time for a late-2011 launch under a contract Orbital announced Dec. 17.
Intelsat 23 will be a Star-2 platform generating 4.8 kilowatts of power to its payload of 15 Ku-band and 24 C-band transponders. The satellite, designed to operate for 15 years, will be located in geostationary orbit at 53 degrees west longitude and will provide telecommunications for North and South America, Europe and Africa.
Intelsat currently operates the IS-707 satellite at the 53 degrees slot. That satellite was launched in 1996.
