N-SAT-110 in Acoustic test cell, Lockheed Martin Commercial Satellite Center, Sunnyvale, California. Photo: Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space

The N-SAT-110 telecommunications satellite, designed and built for Space Communications Corporation (SCC) and JSAT Corporation of Tokyo, Japan by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS), was shipped from Sunnyvale, CA and arrived at the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana in Aug. 27 where it will be readied for a Fall launch.

N-SAT-110 is a commercial satellite telecommunications program awarded to LMCSS in November 1998. Commercial Space Systems will provide the A2100AX satellite, ground station facilities and operational support for the first six months of the satellite's initial operations. The satellite payload is composed of twenty-four Ku-band direct broadcast television transponders and will operate at 110 degrees east longitude covering Japan and the local Asia region.

"We have completed all the required final system verification activities and anticipate a successful launch and long-term presence in the Asia region," said Dave Durey, N-SAT-110 program manger, Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.

The spacecraft will be lofted into orbit on an Ariane 4 launch vehicle provided by Arianespace of Evry, France. The launch contract for N-SAT-110 was established by SCC and JSAT directly with Arianespace. Commercial Space Systems will provide only information necessary to ensure the successful launch and delivery of the satellite into its intended orbit.

The A2100 family of satellites was developed by Lockheed Martin to provide low-cost satellite systems to the commercial telecommunications industry. A2100 utilizes technology that has been proven in more than 30 years of development and flight experience. Eighty percent of all components used on the satellite and ground systems provided by Lockheed Martin are produced by the company, or by other suppliers in the United States.

Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems markets, designs and builds geostationary and non-geostationary telecommunications and remote sensing satellites for customers worldwide. LMCSS is an operating unit of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, one of the core business areas of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Lockheed Martin has a 41-year heritage of building reliable spacecraft for commercial and military customers, having launched more than 875 spacecraft and clocking nearly 1,100 years of on-orbit performance experience.