Orbital Selected by Boeing to Provide MEXSAT-3 Fixed Satellite Services Spacecraft for MEXSAT System
20 December 2010
Orbital Sciences Corporation has signed a contract with The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) to provide the complete Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) segment of the MEXSAT satellite system for the Federal Government of Mexico. The Ministry of Communications and Transports is overseeing the three-satellite project, which includes two larger spacecraft (MEXSAT-1 and MEXSAT-2) provided by Boeing as well as the smaller MEXSAT-3 spacecraft provided by Orbital.
“We are very pleased to be working with Boeing on the MEXSAT system,” said Mr. Michael Larkin, Orbital’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Satellites and Space Systems Group. “The combination of Boeing and Orbital, two of the world’s preeminent satellite manufacturers, will provide the Mexican government with a highly reliable and capable satellite system for its critical mission requirements.”
The MEXSAT satellite system comprises two Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spacecraft designed and built by Boeing and one FSS spacecraft designed and built by Orbital. Under the contract with Boeing, Orbital will provide the MEXSAT-3 FSS spacecraft that will be based on the company’s STAR-2 platform. It will generate approximately 3.5 kilowatts of payload power and carry 12 active extended Ku-band and 12 active extended C-band transponders.
MEXSAT-3 will provide communications services to Mexico and its surrounding waters from the 114.9 degree West longitude orbital slot. In addition to the MEXSAT-3 spacecraft, Orbital is also responsible for providing the FSS ground segment, including satellite command and control ground equipment and software, as well as training and operational documentation.
The MEXSAT-3 satellite is the 32 commercial geosynchronous satellite ordered from Orbital by customers around the world, and the second such order placed with the company in 2010. Earlier this year, the company was selected by The Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the complete Azerspace/Africasat-1a satellite system, including both the satellite and ground system segments of the project.
