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The speedy marketing of Amazonas 1, whose occupation rate exceeded 88 per cent at the end of 2006, in juny 2007, the HISPASAT’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the construction of a new satellite, Amazonas 2, for the orbital position of 61 degrees West.
The launch and subsequent commissioning of the said satellite is planned for 2009. The necessary investment for the development of this project by HISPASAT will not require contributions by shareholders thanks to the cash flow generated by the business and to recent debt financing.
Amazonas 2 will have a useful life cycle of 15 years and will provide a wide range of communications services, including direct to home television (DTH), through a total of 64 simultaneous transponders, of which 54 will operate in Ku band and 10 in C band.
This new satellite will have a launching mass of 5.5 tons, a solar panel that, once it has been deployed in orbit, will measure 39 metres and over 14kW of power at the end of its useful life cycle. It will cover the continent of America from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego with optimised Ku band coverage for North America and South America. A
Amazonas 2 will also provide C band coverage over Latin American countries.
The new satellite will provide a modern and competitive communications capacity for Latin America both in the traditional spatial capacity hiring business and in relation to projects linked to technological innovation.
The investment in excess of 200 million euros, including the launch, insurance and land segment.
HISPASAT has signed a contract with EADS-Astrium to build the new satellite, which includes a significant level of direct participation by Spanish industry.
A large part of the building process of Amazonas 2 will take place in Spain. EADS CASA Espacio will be in charge of the antennas that will ensure the reception and transmission of communications signals. Thales Alenia Space España will supply input multiplexers and band Ku TCR equipment, for the communications repeater, which will be in charge of filtering and amplifying communications signals. Rymsa will supply horns for beacons and TCR antennas and Mier will build radio-frequency units.
Concerning the platform, Astrium Crisa will be responsible for providing electronic equipment required to control the actuators and pyrotechnic devices.
Together with the new contract, HISPASAT has also signed an agreement with EADS-Astrium to develop an industrial return plan that will add over one hundred million euros to the direct participation of Spanish industry in Amazonas 2.
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