Boeing said it will build four satellites for Asia Broadcast Satellite...
Boeing said it will build four satellites for Asia Broadcast Satellite and Satélites Mexicanos through a joint procurement between ABS and Satmex. The first two satellites, named ABS-3A and Satmex 7, will be delivered late 2014 or early 2015, Boeing…
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said Tuesday. The names and launch plans for the other two satellites will be announced later, said Boeing. The deal “shows that regional operators can cooperate to achieve the same economies of scale previously enjoyed by the global operators,” said Thomas Choi, CEO of ABS. “The new satellite, ABS-3A, will allow the extension of C- and Ku-band services into the Atlantic Ocean region for our existing customers, and will allow us to diversify our market base for our future growth.” Satmex 7, a C- and Ku-band satellite, “will expand our fleet to three satellites covering the Americas,” said Patricio Northland, CEO of Satmex. The deal includes an option for an additional four satellites, Boeing said. The satellites will use electric propulsion, rather than chemical propulsion, allowing much lighter satellites or additional transponders. The electric satellites allow “tremendous savings in terms of mass,” Boeing Satellite Systems President Stephen O'Neill said at the Satellite 2012 conference. Electric propulsion “gives a different cost equation” for its customers, he said. SpaceX said it will launch the satellites from Cape Canaveral, Fla.