Lockheed Martin Set
to Deliver BSAT-3a and JCSAT-11 Spacecraft in 3rd Quarter of
2007
(19 June 2007) Lockheed Martin is
poised to deliver two spacecraft in the third quarter of 2007 for two premiere
customers, the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) and the JSAT
Corporation (JSAT), both based in Japan.
BSAT-3a, designed and
built for B-SAT, recently completed its Pre-Shipment Review and is in
preparation for shipment to the Arianespace launch site in French Guiana. The
BSAT-3a communications payload contains 12 130-W Ku-band channels (eight
operating at one time) and will be located at 110 degrees east longitude. With
a design life of more than 13 years, BSAT-3a is based on the A2100A platform
manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS), Newtown, Pa.
BSAT-3a marks the 12th Lockheed Martin satellite contract awarded in the 1- to
4-kW class satellite range.
BSAT-3a is the sixth Direct Broadcasting
Satellite in the 12GHz BSS band procured by B-SAT. Satellite broadcasting in
Japan has a long history, which began in 1984. Broadcast penetration is
currently in excess of 23 million households.
JCSAT-11 is scheduled to
launch in autumn on a Proton launch vehicle provided by International Launch
Services. JCSAT-11 is a high-power hybrid satellite consisting of 30 active
Ku-band transponders and 12 active C-band transponders that will provide
coverage to Japan, the Asia-Pacific region and Hawaii. JCSAT-11 is designed for
a minimum service life of 15 years and will serve as a back up satellite for
other JSAT satellites following its scheduled launch.
LMCSS successfully
launched JCSAT-9 and JCSAT-10 in 2006, both also based on the A2100AX satellite
platform. JCSAT-11 is the third consecutive satellite order that JSAT has
contracted to Lockheed Martin in the last four years.
BSAT-3a and
JCSAT-11 mark the 33rd and 34th A2100 spacecraft designed and built by Lockheed
Martin.
The Lockheed Martin A2100 geosynchronous spacecraft series is
designed to meet a wide variety of telecommunications needs including Ka-band
broadband and broadcast services, fixed satellite services in C-band and
Ku-band, high-power direct broadcast services using the Ku-band frequency
spectrum and mobile satellite services using UHF, L-band, and S-band
payloads.
The A2100's modular design features a reduction in parts,
simplified construction, increased on-orbit reliability and reduced weight and
cost.
The A2100 spacecraft's design accommodates a large range of
communication payloads as demonstrated by the 32 spacecraft successfully flown
to date. This design modularity also enables the A2100 spacecraft to be
configured for missions other than communication. The A2100 design is currently
being adapted for geostationary earth orbit (GEO)-based earth observing
missions and is currently the baselined platform for Lockheed Martin's
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Series-R (GOES-R) proposal.
About B-SAT
B-SAT is a unique operator of broadcasting satellites in
12GHz BSS band in Japan. The company was established in April 1994 and is
located in Tokyo, Japan. Since then, B-SAT has worked toward providing stable
satellite operations and continuity of broadcast services. B-SAT currently owns
and manages five satellites, BSAT-1a and-1b for analogue services, BSAT-2a and
-2c for digital services and BS-3N, built by Lockheed Martin, as a
spare.
About JSAT Corporation
JSAT Corporation is a leading
satellite operator in the Asia-Pacific region. The company owns and operates
eight satellites, covering North America, Hawaii, Asia and Oceania. JSAT
provides a range of services, including digital communication satellite
broadcasting service SKY PerfecTV! satellite TV broadcasting, video and data
broadcasting services for corporate and inter-company networks, international
telecommunications services.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered
in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people world-wide and
is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture,
integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and
services. The corporation reported 2006 sales of US$ 39.6
billion.
(source: Lockheed Martin)