Giant Hughes Satellite Wing Deployments Captured on Camera
Public Relations Department
P.O. Box 92919 (S10/S323)
Los Angeles, CA 90009
Media Relations (310) 364-6363
Investor Relations (310) 662-9688
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 21, 2000 — For the first time from space, video images have been captured
of a commercial satellite unfolding its purple-hued solar wings in orbit more than 22,000 miles above
Earth. When extended, the wingspan of the satellite approximates that of a Boeing 737 jetliner.
The images of the solar wings were radioed from the first Hughes HS 702, the largest, most
powerful commercial satellite ever launched. The HS 702 satellite is built by Hughes Space and
Communications Company (HSC), the world’s leading supplier of communications satellites.
“We are extremely proud of the success of our first HS 702, as it opens a new era in high-power
commercial spacecraft,” said Tig Krekel, President and Chief Executive Officer of HSC. “But even more
impressive is the ingenuity of our technical team in devising a means to capture video of this
technological first. It’s the stuff of which history is made, and it’s the stuff on which HSC is based.”
Two video cameras specially modified to withstand the rigors of a rocket launch and the extreme
temperature variances in space captured the 30-minute-long milestone sequence of the spacecraft’s
uniquely designed solar wings unfolding, panel by panel, until the satellite reached its full wingspan of
111 feet. Images are available on the HSC website,
http://www.hughespace.com .
The HS 702 solar wings carry angled solar reflector panels along each side that concentrate more of
the sun’s rays onto the solar cells in order to generate increased power. The gallium arsenide solar
cells are among the most efficient available, able to convert nearly 25 percent of the sun’s rays into
spacecraft power. The satellite, Galaxy XI, was built by HSC for PanAmSat Corporation and was
launched on an Ariane rocket on Dec. 21, 1999.
The HS 702 model spacecraft was introduced in 1995 to meet customer requirements for satellites
with more than 10 kilowatts of power, and with flexible payload capacity. A total of nine of these
powerhouses have been ordered by such customers as PanAmSat Corporation, XM Satellite Radio,
Telesat Canada, and Hughes Spaceway(tm). This year three more HS 702s, with power ranging up
to 18 kilowatts at beginning of life, are scheduled to launch. Building on this strong foundation, HSC
announced the enhanced HS 702+ spacecraft model in October 1999, designed with the industry-first
ability to achieve 25 kilowatts of power.
The solar wings were designed and manufactured by Spectrolab, Inc., a unit of Hughes Electronics
Corporation. Spectrolab, founded in 1956, has been supplying solar cells and panels to the space
industry for 40 years and is also a leading supplier of searchlights and solar simulators. Hughes
Electronics Corporation acquired Spectrolab in 1975.
HSC is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites, having built nearly
40 percent of those in operation. It also is a major supplier of spacecraft and equipment to the U.S.
government, and a builder of weather satellites for the United States and Japan.
HSC is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. Hughes Electronics is the world’s leading provider of
digital television entertainment, and satellite and wireless systems and services. The earnings of
Hughes Electronics, a unit of General Motors Corporation, are used to calculate the earnings per
share attributable to the General Motors Class H common stock (NYSE:GMH). For more information
about Hughes, visit its website http://www.hughes.com .
 high resolution image available here |
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| Camera shots of deployments LEFT — Photo taken by camera on board the Galaxy XI Hughes HS 702 satellite shows solar wing as it unfolds, and solar concentrators being deployed along the third and fourth solar panels on the wing. RIGHT — Black-and-white photo shows fully deployed solar wing with four panels and associated concentrators. These concentrators are innovations for the Hughes HS 702 satellite, to concentrate more of the sun’s energy on the highly efficient gallium arsenide solar cells.
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 high resolution version here (PDF format) |
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| LEFT — Hughes HS 702 compared to 737 aircraft.
RIGHT — Artist’s rendering shows location of video cameras that captured the unfolding of the solar wings on Galaxy XI, the first HS 702 satellite built by Hughes Space and Communications Company.
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HUGHES SPACE AND COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY | 00SC-89397-1E |
