Tim Furniss/LONDON
THE ASIA PACIFIC region's space-communications business has taken a big stride with the award of $440 million-worth of contracts to build three satellites.
Singapore and Taiwan have awarded a $240 million deal to Matra Marconi Space (MMS) to build the ST-1 communications satellite and two ground stations, while Loral Space Systems has won a $200 million deal from the Asia Broadcasting and Communications Network (ABCN), of Thailand and Laos, to build the L-Star 1 and 2 spacecraft.
The 20th MMS Eurostar spacecraft bus, the 3,000kg ST-1, will be launched in 1998, to be located at 88°E in geostationary orbit (GEO), providing 16 Ku-band and 14 C-band communications services from the Middle East to the Far East. It will have a power requirement of 6.5kW. The satellite is believed to have non-commercial capabilities.
It is thought that Singapore is "fronting" the project for Taiwan which does not have a GEO slot registered with the International Telecommunications Union.
The contract for the ST-1 is the fifth for an MMS Eurostar to be received in six months. MMS says that the ST-1 will be launched on an Ariane 5 or a Long March.
Arianespace is to launch the Loral L-Stars in 1998. These craft will be co-located at 116°E in GEO over Laos, to provide direct-to-home television services to China, India, South-East Asia and Taiwan. Thailand's ABCN will hold an 80% stake in the venture, while Laos will have 20%. The L-Stars contract brings to 43 the number of satellites to be launched by Arianespace.
ILS International Launch Services has won the contract to launch Japan's JCSAT 4, Hughes HS-601 satellite aboard an Atlas 2AS in January 1997.
Source: Flight International
