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Construction of Telstar 11N satellite begins LORAL NEWS RELEASE Posted: February 1, 2006 Loral Skynet, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications, today announced that construction of Telstar 11N, a powerful new multi-region Ku-band communications satellite, has begun at Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) in Palo Alto, Calif. "With Telstar 11N, Loral Skynet is expanding its fleet to take advantage of opportunities in four key growth areas, in addition to providing connectivity to the North American FSS market," said Patrick Brant, president, Loral Skynet. "Consistent with this growth strategy, Telstar 11N presents Skynet with a unique opportunity to capitalize on the needs of commercial and governmental customers to move video and data around the key American, European and African regions." When it enters service in the second quarter of 2008, Telstar 11N will provide service from 39 high-power Ku-band transponders spread across four different geographic beams in each of North and Central America, Europe, Africa and the maritime Atlantic Ocean Region. At 37.5 degrees West longitude, Telstar 11N will complement the coverage of Skynet's Telstar 12 satellite at 15 degrees West longitude, which provides Ku-band trans-Atlantic coverage to an array of commercial and governmental users. "In addition to adding service in North America, Telstar 11N is a key, strategic piece of Loral Skynet's FSS expansion plans in the high-growth data and IP service markets of Europe and Africa," continued Brant. "The design and power of Telstar 11N will enable Skynet to provide service from the Americas to Europe, where it can inter-connect with our Asian satellites and offer customers around the world connectivity." Telstar 11N is based on SS/L's flight-proven 1300 geostationary satellite platform, which has a long and proven record of reliable operation. Currently, there are 52 SS/L 1300 satellites on orbit, performing a variety of critical communications functions for virtually every major satellite operator in the world. Loral Skynet's satellite fleet currently includes Telstar 10 and Telstar 18 over Asia; the trans-Atlantic Telstar 12, which covers North and South America, Europe the Middle East and South Africa; and Telstar 14/Estrela do Sul, which covers North and South America and Brazil. A pioneer in the satellite industry, Loral Skynet delivers the superior service quality and range of satellite solutions that have made it an industry leader for more than 40 years. Through the broad coverage of the Telstar satellite fleet, in combination with its hybrid VSAT/fiber global network infrastructure, Skynet meets the needs of companies around the world for broadcast and data network services, Internet access, IP and systems integration. Headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey, Loral Skynet is dedicated to providing secure, high-quality connectivity and communications. Space Systems/Loral, also a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications, is a premier designer, manufacturer, and integrator of powerful satellites and satellite systems. SS/L also provides a range of related services that include mission control operations and procurement of launch services. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., the company has an international base of commercial and governmental customers whose applications include broadband digital communications, direct-to-home broadcast, defense communications, environmental monitoring, and air traffic control. SS/L satellites have amassed more than 1,200 years of reliable on-orbit service. SS/L is ISO 9001:2000 certified. Loral Space & Communications is a high technology company that concentrates primarily on satellite manufacturing and satellite-based services. |
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Space shuttle Atlantis and a multinational crew flew to the Russian space station Mir in June 1995 for the first in a series of joint docking missions, launching a new era of cooperation in space between the United States and Russia that would pave the way for the International Space Station. This post-flight presentation of highlights from the historic STS-71 mission is narrated by the astronauts.
On the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger tragedy, a memorial service was held at the Kennedy Space Center's Space Mirror. Speakers at the tribute to honor the lost Challenger, Columbia and Apollo 1 astronauts included the widow and son of Challenger commander Francis "Dick" Scobee, officials with the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, two local U.S. Representatives, commander of the first shuttle flight after Challenger and the Kennedy Space Center director.
NASA's next mobile rover that will be sent to the Red Planet is Mars Science Laboratory. Roughly the size of a Mini Cooper car and designed to operate on the Martian surface for two Earth years, this large rover is scheduled for launch in 2009. Project manager Richard Cook unveils a model of the rover and talks about the mission in this video clip.
The remarkable rovers Spirit and Opportunity remain alive and well on the surface of the Red Planet, far outlasting their planned 90-day missions. On Jan. 24, the second anniversary of Opportunity's landing, project officials and scientists held this celebration event at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The New Horizons spacecraft begins a voyage across the solar system to explore Pluto and beyond with its successful launch January 19 aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
NASA's Stardust spacecraft returns samples of cometary dust to Earth with its safe landing in Utah on January 15.
NASA Administrator Mike Griffin and his deputy Shana Dale hold a news conference at Kennedy Space Center in the final hours of the countdown to the New Horizons launch. Questions from reporters ranged from the Pluto-bound mission, the agency's budget and the space shuttle program.