Globalstar
Announces
Operational
Milestones
and
Timetable
for
Launch
of
New
Satellites
May
6,
2010
Globalstar,
Inc.
announced
the
key
operational
milestones
and
associated
timetable
for
the
upcoming
launch
of
Globalstar
second-generation
satellite
constellation.
The
advanced
second-generation
constellation,
which
secures
Globalstar's
space
segment
beyond
the
year
2025,
will
be
the
world's
newest
commercial
satellite
network.
The
deployment
of
the
constellation
is
expected
to
afford
the
Company
up
to a
five-year
competitive
advantage
over
its
primary
mobile
satellite
services
(MSS)
competitor,
which
still
has
not
yet
named
a
manufacturer
for
its
second-generation
satellites.
Globalstar
began
the
planning
phase
for
its
new
constellation
in
2005,
more
than
five
years
ago,
and
the
Company
signed
an
agreement
with
satellite
manufacturer
Alcatel
Alenia
Space
(now
Thales
Alenia
Space)
in
2006.
Since
then
Globalstar
has
overcome
operational
challenges
and
completed
many
significant
milestones,
including
a
2009
$738
million
financing,
in
order
to
be
in a
position
to
make
today's
announcement.
A
few
of
the
key
accomplishments
to
date
include:
-- March 2007 - Globalstar signs contract with Alcatel Alenia Space
(Thales) to upgrade satellite operations and control center
-- September 2007 − Globalstar signs launch services contract with
Arianespace for Globalstar's second-generation constellation
-- May 2008 -- Globalstar signs agreement with Hughes Network Systems to
develop proprietary satellite air interface and delivery of
next-generation ground network equipment, software upgrades and
satellite handset chipset
-- August 2008 - Satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space begins
production assembly, integration, and testing of the first Globalstar
second-generation flight model satellites
-- October 2008 -- Globalstar signs agreement for second-generation network
ground core network segment with Ericsson Federal
-- July 2009 -- Globalstar completes $738 million financing to fully fund
manufacture and launch of 24 new Globalstar second-generation satellites
-- Globalstar begins construction of final telemetry and control unit (TCU)
ground station in Southern Africa
-- January 2010 -- Globalstar announces launch window for the first launch
of six second-generation satellites is scheduled to begin on July 5th.
Launch
Window
In
January
2010,
Globalstar
announced
that
the
first
90-day
window
to
launch
six
Globalstar
second-generation
satellites
will
open
on
July
5,
2010.
The
launch
of
the
new
satellites
is
expected
in
the
September
or
early
October
timeframe
with
the
actual
launch
date
to
be
announced
in
the
upcoming
months.
The
operational
milestones
being
announced
today
are
consistent
with
that
schedule.
The
satellites
will
be
launched
from
the
Baikonur
Cosmodrome
in
Kazakhstan
using
the
highly
reliable
Soyuz
launch
vehicle,
the
same
vehicle
used
to
launch
astronauts
and
cosmonauts
to
the
international
space
station.
Globalstar
expects
to
conduct
four
launches
of
six
satellites
each
using
the
Soyuz
which
has
been
used
to
successfully
launch
Globalstar
satellites
on
eight
previous
occasions.
The
24
new
second-generation
satellites
will
be
integrated
with
the
eight
first-generation
satellites
that
were
launched
in
2007.
Calendar
of
Globalstar
Key
Operational
Milestones
&
Timelines:
-- Announcement of Satellite Dispenser Approval by Arianespace (May)
-- Satellite Operations (Ground) Control Center Upgrades Completed (May)
-- Globalstar Second-generation Satellite Delivery Announcement (July)
-- 90-day Launch Window Opens (July)
-- Launch Vehicle Readiness Review (July)
-- Announce Launch Date and Begin Launch Campaign (August)
-- Satellite Mating to Dispenser and Rollout (September)
-- Launch
"While
there
are
some
critical
activities
ahead
of
us,
from
a
pure
timeline
perspective
we're
about
95-percent
of
the
way
through
the
process
of
planning,
designing,
manufacturing
and
launching
the
first
of
our
new
satellites,"
said
Tony
Navarra,
President,
Global
Operations
for
Globalstar,
Inc.
"Our
committed
team
of
highly
skilled
partners
and
employees
continue
to
deliver
on-time
and
on-budget,
giving
us
the
confidence
today
to
announce
the
remaining
milestones
that
will
take
us
to
the
finish
line.
Although
it
may
seem
overwhelming
to
be
so
close
to
delivering
a
state-of-the-art
network
that
will
secure
the
Globalstar
space
segment
for
the
next
15
years,
we
are
simply
continuing
to
execute
on a
detailed
plan
that
we
began
to
implement
more
than
five
years
ago."
Globalstar
expects
to
be
the
first
global
mobile
satellite
voice
and
data
company
to
deliver
and
deploy
a
second-generation
satellite
constellation.
Once
the
new
Globalstar
satellites
are
in
operational
orbit,
the
most
immediate
impact
will
be
on
those
customers
who
use
the
Company's
voice
and
duplex
data
services.
With
each
of
the
first
four
launches,
these
customers
can
expect
a
progressive
return
to
the
high
reliability
and
service
quality
enjoyed
before
2007.
Once
the
constellation
is
fully
deployed,
the
new
constellation
and
next-generation
ground
network
are
designed
to
provide
Globalstar
customers
with
increased
data
speeds
of
up
to
256
kbps
in a
flexible
Internet
protocol
multimedia
subsystem
(IMS)
configuration.
Products
and
services
supported
are
expected
to
include:
push-to-talk
and
multicasting,
advanced
messaging
capabilities
such
as
multimedia
messaging
or
MMS,
mobile
video,
geo-location
services,
multi-band
and
multi-mode
handsets,
and
data
devices
with
GPS
integration.
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