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Intelsat General
Part of Team Selected to Build New Satellite
Navigation Payload for the Federal Aviation
Administration
April 16, 2018
Intelsat General announced that it is part of a team of
companies awarded a new task order by the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop and operate a
satellite payload to aid aircraft navigation,
particularly precision approaches to airports without
dependence on ground-based infrastructure.
The payload will be part of the FAA’s Wide Area
Augmentation System (WAAS) that corrects and enhances
information provided by Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellites to give commercial and civilian pilots more
precise approach and departure guidance. WAAS provides
safety improvements in the National Air Space and has
been operational since 2003. This hosted payload, known
as Geostationary Earth Satellite (GEO) 7, is the seventh
payload delivering a continuous and robust signal in
space across the contiguous United States and Alaska.
This payload is part of an ongoing WAAS constellation
replenishment/sustainment effort by the FAA.
Leidos, a global science and technology leader, is the
lead company on the task order which has a four-year
development phase followed by a 10-year operations and
maintenance phase. Intelsat General is hosting a similar
WAAS payload (GEO 3) on Intelsat’s Galaxy 15 satellite.
“We encourage other federal agencies with critical space
missions to follow the FAA’s lead and take advantage of
the value and speed a commercially hosted payload can
deliver.” said Skot Butler, President of Intelsat
General. “This new payload will provide commercial and
civilian pilots with the additional visibility and vital
information needed to help ensure a safe flight,
particularly when landing in limited visibility or
difficult weather.”
Intelsat General will be responsible for designing,
developing and hosting the WAAS GEO 7 payload and then
integrating it into a new Intelsat Galaxy 30 satellite
being built by Orbital ATK. The Galaxy 30 satellite is
set for launch in the first half of 2020 and will be
located at 125º West.
During the 10-year operational phase, Intelsat General
will provide ground uplink services to the payload
through Intelsat’s teleport in Napa, California, as well
as operations and maintenance services.
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