Tim Furniss/LONDON
MATRA MARCONI SPACE (MMS) has been awarded a $200 million contract to build the 20 Ku-band transponder, direct-to-home, Hot Bird 4 satellite for European communications-satellite organisation Eutelsat. MMS is already building the Hot Birds 2 and 3.
The MMS built, 2.7t Hot Birds 2-4, will be located at 13°E in geostationary orbit (GEO), after launch in 1997-8, each with two 2.3m-diameter antennae providing wide beam coverage of the whole of Europe, from the Azores to Kazakhstan and a powerful spot-beam covering Central Europe, for users equipped with receivers as small as 400mm diameter.
The Hot Bird 4 contract is part of a $1 billion-plus Eutelsat programme to buy five new satellites. A $600 million contract for three 24-Ku-band transponder Eutelsat 3s, has gone to Aerospatiale, with options for four more spacecraft (Flight International, 19-25 July).
The three new satellites, the first of which will be launched in 1998, will operate from 7¡, 10¡ and 16¡E locations in GEO, providing telephony, business, satellite news- gathering and television-programming services. Aerospatiale is building the Hot Bird 1, one of six Eutelsat 2-series spacecraft.
Eutelsat also plans to build an 18 Ku-band transponder satellite providing similar services to Eastern Europe and Central Asia from 48¡E, after launch in 1998. A contract, is expected to be awarded to the Russian NPO Priklanoy Mekhaniki organisation, with Alcatel as a major subcontractor.
Source: Flight International
