Alcatel Alenia Space said Tuesday it has signed a contract to build a new telecom satellite for SES AMERICOM. Beginning in mid-2008, the AMC-21 satellite will transmit programming to Public Broadcasting Service affiliated television stations in the continental United States, as well as Alaska, Hawaii and Caribbean regions.
The satellite also will expand occasional resources for conventional broadcasters and support enterprise communications networks, AAS said in a statement.
AAS will maintain overall responsibility for the AMC-21 program, including design, manufacturing, test and delivery on the ground, the launch and early operations phase, in-orbit testing and associated services. AAS also will provide the communications payload.
Orbital Sciences Corp. will provide its small sized GEO spacecraft platform, STAR-2, under a subcontract, while AAS will integrate the Orbital bus into the fully assembled satellite.
AMC-21 will carry 24 Ku-band transponders, each 36 megahertz in bandwidth and will have an operational life time exceeding 16 years. Weighing about 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) at launch with 6 kilowatts of electrical power, it will operate from 125 degrees west longitude.
AMC-21 is the second satellite ordered by SES AMERICOM this year and will be the fifth satellite delivered by Alcatel Alenia Space to the company in seven years.
