Space Industry and Business News  
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
  
Globalstar Begins Production And Testing Of New Second-Gen Satellites

The Globalstar second-generation constellation has a 15-year contracted lifespan which secures the company's space segment through at least 2025. Globalstar expects the new constellation and ground network to provide faster data speeds required to support a variety of next-generation Internet-protocol (IP) based services.
by Staff Writers
Milpitas CA (SPX) Aug 29, 2008
Globalstar has announced that satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space has begun production assembly, integration and testing of the first Globalstar second-generation flight model satellites.

Globalstar, Thales Alenia Space and Arianespace company officials presented the latest updates to members of the media and investment community at the Thales Alenia Space satellite manufacturing facility located in Cannes, France.

The new satellites, scheduled for delivery beginning in less than a year, will be used to provide Globalstar's next-generation of advanced mobile satellite voice and data services.

In November of 2006 Globalstar signed a contract with Thales Alenia Space for the design, manufacture and delivery of 48 second-generation satellites. In September of 2007 Globalstar signed a contract with launch provider Arianespace to launch the second-generation satellites beginning in the second half of next year.

Globalstar will once again use the highly reliable human-rated Soyuz launch vehicle which has been used to successfully launch 32 Globalstar first-generation satellites.

"For more than a decade our talented engineers and operations personnel have been working with the highly skilled team of satellite and launch experts from Thales Alenia Space, Arianespace and their Soyuz partners," said Tony Navarra, President of Space Operations and Engineering for Globalstar, Inc.

Mr. Navarra added, "This first-generation legacy helped lead to the manufacture of our current constellation plus eight successful Globalstar Soyuz launches. Today's announcement and manufacturing tour clearly demonstrate we're on track to meet our second-generation launch schedule. We are doing exactly what we set out to do and we are doing so on time and on budget.

"We want to thank Thales Alenia Space, Arianespace and all their sub-contractors for helping us meet our aggressive timetable to deploy Globalstar's next-generation network and the advanced wireless voice and data services that it will bring."

"We are very proud to have been chosen by Globalstar, Inc. for this major program," said Blaise Jaeger, Thales Alenia Space Executive Vice President and General Manager Telecommunications Business Unit.

"With the production AIT phase for the second generation kicking off today, after meeting all program milestones since its start in November 2006, we are on schedule to start launches as early as Q3 2009. Building on our long-standing relation, we continue to team up with Globalstar in an outstanding partnership, and look forward to the continued flawless execution of the program."

"Since February 1999, Arianespace has had the privilege, through its Starsem affiliate, of launching 32 satellites of the Globalstar fleet. Last year, we were honored to have been entrusted by Globalstar with launching its second-generation constellation. In 2009, this decade-old relationship with Globalstar is expected to continue in French Guiana, when Arianespace will deliver to orbit another six Globalstar satellites on the world's most reliable launch vehicle, the Soyuz. As ever, Arianespace stands ready with a proven guarantee of 'Service and Solutions' to help Globalstar meet its goals," said Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace.

The Globalstar second-generation constellation has a 15-year contracted lifespan which secures the company's space segment through at least 2025. Globalstar expects the new constellation and ground network to provide faster data speeds required to support a variety of next-generation Internet-protocol (IP) based services.

The network is being designed to ensure backwards compatibility for current customers and the Company is evaluating next-generation commercial and consumer wireless services including push-to-talk, multicasting, duplex SMS, advanced messaging, and the ability to support mobile video applications.

Related Links
Globalstar
The latest information about the Commercial Satellite Industry


Rapideye Constellation Ready For Launch
Baikonur, Kazakhstan (SPX) Aug 28, 2008
The 5-satellite RapidEye constellation is ready for launch from Baikonur on August 29, 2008. All five satellites have been integrated with the Dnepr launch vehicle at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in readiness for launch at 0715 UTC (0815 BST, 0915 CEST).






Memory Foam Mattress Review

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News
  • Carnegie Mellon System Thwarts Internet Eavesdropping
  • Tiny nation of Niue gets laptop for every child
  • 'Phoney' queues used to spur Polish iPhone launch
  • Yahoo mixes old and new in Internet-age news service

  • Arianespace To Launch Koreasat 6
  • Inmarsat Selects ILS Proton To Launch S-Band Satellite For Europe
  • Forecast International Projects 50 Billion Dollar ELV Market
  • Successful Launch For Third Inmarsat-4 Satellite

  • The M2-F1 - An Aircraft Without Wings
  • China's Tianjin building runway for Airbus test flights: report
  • NASA evaluates new wing sensor
  • Russia And China May Co-Design New Passenger Plane

  • Satellite's Data Collection Will Support Warfighter
  • Boeing Awarded E-6B Upgrade Contract
  • Defense Support Program Satellite Decommissioned
  • Raytheon Bids For USAF Command And Control Contract

  • Eyes turn to dawn of 'visual computing'
  • NPL To Create Encyclopedia For Space Nanomaterials
  • Key Advance Toward Micro-Spacecraft
  • MIT's Lincoln Lab Upgrades Sputnik-Era Antenna

  • Orbital Appoints Frank Culbertson And Mark Pieczynski To Management
  • Chris Smith Named Director Of Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
  • AsiaSat Appoints New General Manager China
  • NASA names aeronautics administrator

  • Arctic Ice On The Verge Of Another All-Time Low
  • Changing The World, One Student At A Time
  • GOCE To Look At The Earth Surface And Core
  • Tropical Storm Fay's Center Now Moving Inland

  • Rockford Map Publishers Selects TerraGo To Enhance Plat Books
  • u-blox GPS Technology To Power Microsoft MapPoint 2009 USB Stick
  • XATA Adds Enhanced Mapping Capabilities To Fleet Management Solution
  • Airbiquity Announces Connected Services Platform For PNDs

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement