Artist's concept of a Loral-built satellite in space. Photo: LORAL

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a Loral Space & Communications company, has been awarded a contract by iSKY to design and build an advanced Ka-band spot-beam satellite. iSKY, formerly known as KaSTAR Satellite Communications Corporation, will use the satellite to offer North American consumers and small businesses a fast, affordable, simple, reliable, always-on and two-way technology for wireless Internet access.

Under the contract, the SS/L-built satellite will operate in the high-frequency Ka-band spectrum from an orbital location of 109.2 degrees west longitude, providing excellent coverage across North America. The satellite will be delivered on orbit in 2001, and iSky will begin offering services soon thereafter.

"We are pleased to have contracted with Loral to build the first iSKY broadband satellite," said Thomas Moore, president and CEO of iSKY. "This milestone marks the beginning of our countdown to offering consumers and small businesses affordable, high-speed Internet access through mini satellite dishes."

"SS/L is proud to be a partner in this project to deliver Internet and multimedia services to U.S. customers, and we are extremely pleased with the continued and growing demand for our 1300 satellite," said Dr. John M. Klineberg, president of Space Systems/Loral. "Once launched, this new satellite will join nearly 50 other 1300 satellites already on orbit, providing a wide range of customers with excellent, high-powered communications capabilities around the world."

The high-performance SS/L satellite bus being built for iSky will have total on-board satellite power exceeding 10 kW and will provide 41 spot beams to cover North America. The satellite is based on SS/L's, three-axis, body-stabilized 1300 bus, whose modular design is flight-proven over many years with one of the highest reliability records in the industry. In all, SS/L satellites have amassed a total of more than 700 years on orbit.

SS/L's 1300 buses are designed to achieve highly reliable and long useful orbital life -- in this case 12 years -- through use of a bipropellant propulsion system and a momentum-bias system for excellent stationkeeping and orbital stability. Solar arrays and nickel-hydrogen batteries provide uninterrupted electrical power.

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) is a premier designer, manufacturer and integrator of satellites and satellite systems. SS/L also provides a range of related services including mission control operations and procurement of launch services. Based in Palo Alto, California, SS/L produces powerful geostationary (GEO) satellite platforms as well as low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, serving an international roster of commercial and governmental customers in applications such as broadband digital communications, wireless telephony, direct-to-home broadcast, environmental monitoring, and air traffic control. SS/L is ISO 9001 certified.

Loral Space & Communications (NYSE:LOR) is a high technology company that concentrates primarily on satellite manufacturing and satellite-based services, including broadcast transponder leasing and value-added services, domestic and international corporate data networks, global wireless telephony, broadband data transmission and content services, Internet services, and international direct-to-home satellite services.

iSky is a Colorado-based company focused on delivering broadband multi-media communications services, including "Internet by Satellite." iSky plans to build, launch and operate a global, Ka-band satellite system that will provide on-demand, low cost, two-way interactive, broadband services. iSky will deliver bandwidth to end-user service providers initially throughout North, Central and South America and subsequently around the world, augmenting terrestrial and broadcast satellite networks.