Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] will build a satellite, New Dawn, for Intelsat Ltd.
The deal was set last month, where Intelsat is forming a joint venture with Convergence Partners to own and operate the satellite.
New Dawn will help fill a growing need for fixed satellite services such as voice communications, wireless backhaul, Internet connectivity and broadcast media applications across Africa.
The spacecraft will be based on the Orbital STAR-2 platform. It will generate approximately 4.8 kilowatts of electrical power to support 16 Ku- and 14 C-band active transponders covering Africa with two deployable antennas.
Following the launch and completion of its in-orbit testing process, New Dawn will be located at 32.9 degrees East Longitude. New Dawn satellite is scheduled to be placed in service in early 2011.
In addition to New Dawn, Intelsat also ordered the IS-18 communications spacecraft from Orbital last year. (Please see separate story in this issue on launch of IS-17.)
Orbital’s two other GEO satellite orders last year were the AMC-1R satellite for SES Americom and the Koreasat 6 satellite, for which Orbital is teamed with Thales Alenia Space, for KT Corp. of the Republic of Korea.