Space Systems/Loral to Build APSTAR-V Communications Satellite for APT Satellite
Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (NYSE:LOR), has been awarded a contract to design and build APSTAR-V, a high-powered, C/Ku-band satellite for APT Satellite Company Ltd. (APT Satellite), Hong Kong.
APSTAR-V will replace the aging APSTAR-I satellite at its geostationary orbital position of 138 degrees East longitude. It will provide Ku-band voice, video and data services to China, Hawaii, and East Asia, and C-band services to other parts of the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia and Hawaii. The new satellite will also be used to provide space-based Internet backbone services for the main cities of Asia to and from the U.S. through Hawaii.
Under the new contract, which requires SS/L’s receipt of the necessary U.S. government export licenses, SS/L will also provide customary pre- and post-launch support services. APSTAR-V is scheduled for launch in early 2003, with APT procuring the launch vehicle and insurance. The spacecraft is expected to begin service in the spring of 2003.
The Satellite
APSTAR-V is a high-powered C/Ku-band hybrid satellite based on SS/L’s 1300 platform, similar to APSTAR-IIR, which is currently on orbit serving the Asia-Pacific region. APSTAR-V will have total beginning-of-life power of 10.6 kW with a separated mass of approximately 4,845 kg, and 9.5 kW of end-of-life power. The new spacecraft will operate a total of 54 transponders, 38 in the C band at 60 watts, and 16 in the Ku band at 141 watts.
Based on SS/L’s space-proven 1300 platform, APSTAR-V is designed for a mission life of 13 years. The 1300, which has an excellent record of reliable operation, is designed to achieve a long useful orbital life, excellent station-keeping, and orbital stability by using bipropellant propulsion and momentum-bias systems. A system of high efficiency solar arrays and lightweight batteries provides uninterrupted electrical power. In all, SS/L satellites have amassed a total of nearly 800 years on orbit.
The Companies
APT Satellite Company Ltd. is a major international satellite operator in Asia, and is owned by a consortium of Asian companies in Mainland China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore. It provides high quality satellite transponder and telecommunications services for international and Asia-Pacific broadcasting and communications organizations.
Space Systems/Loral is a premier designer, manufacturer, and integrator of powerful satellites and satellite systems. SS/L also provides a range of related services, including mission control operations and procurement of launch services. Based in Palo Alto, California, the company has an international base of commercial and governmental customers whose applications include broadband digital communications, wireless telephony, direct-to-home broadcast, environmental monitoring, and air traffic control. SS/L is ISO 9001 certified. For more information, visit www.ssloral.com.
Loral Space & Communications is a high technology company that concentrates primarily on satellite manufacturing and satellite-based services, including broadcast transponder leasing and value-added services, domestic and international corporate data networks, global wireless telephony, broadband data transmission and content services, Internet services, and international direct-to-home satellite services.
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