Ross Wilkers
Boeing and Orbital Sciences have completed construction of a communications satellite scheduled for launch Dec. 19, the companies announced Monday.
Orbital designed, manufactured and tested the MEXSAT Bicentenario under a contract with Boeing, who will provide two larger satellites in a series scheduled for launch in 2013 and 2014.
Orbital based the satellite’s design on the company’s GEOStar-2 platform, said Christopher Richmond, Orbital’s senior vice president of communications satellite programs.
The government of Mexico will take over day-to-day operations of the satellites as they launch and go through on-orbit testing, verification and positioning.
Boeing’s space and intelligence systems unit is the overall integrator of the MEXSAT communications network, which will have three satellites, two ground telemetry and control sites, associated network operations systems and reference user terminals.
Boeing’s two 702HP geomobile satellites will supply 14 kilowatts of power each and carry a 22-meter L-band reflector for mobile satellite services.
The constellation will provide communications services to the country and surrounding maritime areas.
