AssureSat and Sea Launch Partner to Mitigate Launch Risk.Business Editors EL SEGUNDO El Segundo (ĕl sēgŭn`dō), industrial city (1990 pop. 15,223), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1917. Its products include navigation and computer systems, aircraft parts, office machines, telephone apparatus, and and LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2000 AssureSat(TM), Inc., announced today it has signed an agreement, through Space Systems/Loral Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), of Palo Alto, California, is the wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications. It was acquired in 1990 for $715 million by Loral Corp. from Ford Motor Company as the Space Systems Division of Ford Aerospace. (SS/L SS/L Space Systems/Loral (Palo Alto, CA) SS/L Space Station/Loral ), a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications, for two launches on Sea Launch. AssureSat plans to launch two new specially designed, high-powered satellites in 2002, beginning the first in-orbit backup protection service for the geostationary Aligned with the earth. Refers to satellites (GEOs) that travel at the same rotational speed as the earth (they are geosynchronous) and are always the same distance from the earth. See GEO. fixed satellite service (FSS FSS Federal Supply Service (US General Services Administration) FSS Flight Service Station FSS Family Self-Sufficiency FSS Fixed Satellite Service FSS Forensic Science Service (Great Britain) ) communications satellite communications satellite artificial satellite that functions as part of a global radio-communications network. Echo 1, the first communications satellite, launched in 1960, was an instrumented inflatable sphere that passively reflected radio signals back to operators worldwide. Under a separate exclusive agreement, Sea Launch will purchase several AssureSat backup services. Earlier this month, AssureSat announced the award of a satellite manufacturing contract to SS/L to build AssureSat's first two satellites as well as the receipt of a contract for backup protection services from Loral Skynet Loral Skynet is a full-service global satellite operator headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey. The company provides a wide range of video and data transmission services. It became a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications when Loral acquired it in 1997 from AT&T. , one of the world's largest FSS satellite operators. Loss Prevention AssureSat and Sea Launch are teaming up to reduce risk through the launch sequence and beyond. AssureSat services will provide a strategic advantage for anchor customers, Sea Launch and Loral Skynet, and will give satellite operators an unprecedented level of protection for their business plans. AssureSat satellites will be able to provide backup protection to most geostationary satellite operators by moving quickly to appropriate orbital slots and assuming the communications tasks of satellites that fail in launch or malfunction on orbit, thereby ensuring service for the operator's customers. According to Mark Fowler, Chairman of AssureSat, "The satellite industry is growing rapidly and more and more customers and new services are relying on satellites. Notwithstanding the extraordinary success of our industry, there has always been an inherent risk of launch and in-orbit failures. These risks have increased with the trend toward bigger and more complex satellites and the new rockets required to lift them." AssureSat will be able to mitigate those risks and enhance satellite services reliability. The Galaxy IV failure of 1998 which disabled millions of pagers brought this issue into sharp focus. "We believe AssureSat represents an important industry paradigm shift A dramatic change in methodology or practice. It often refers to a major change in thinking and planning, which ultimately changes the way projects are implemented. For example, accessing applications and data from the Web instead of from local servers is a paradigm shift. See paradigm. in risk management that increases the value of every transponder A receiver/transmitter on a communications satellite. It receives a microwave signal from earth (uplink), amplifies it and retransmits it back to earth at a different frequency (downlink). A satellite has several transponders. it protects and allows satellite operators and their customers to sleep more soundly," Fowler added. Choosing Sea Launch Jerry Farrell, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and President of AssureSat, observed, "We have watched Boeing and their partners transform a great concept into a first class launch system and a commercial reality. Sea Launch is a great solution for us; it gives us the performance we need to launch our large satellites--and at a good value." "These agreements demonstrate strong confidence in our launch system," said Will Trafton, president of Sea Launch. "As we prepare to return to flight this summer, we are particularly pleased with the relationship we have developed with AssureSat. We have created a multiple-win situation in which Sea Launch will be the first launch provider for their innovative service and AssureSat will provide additional security for Sea Launch, satellite operators and satellite users. We look forward to a productive relationship as we continue to grow our respective businesses." The Satellites The flexible and unique design of the AssureSat satellites will allow them to effectively back-up nearly 200 geostationary satellites around the globe. These satellites are equipped with 36 C-band and 36 Ku-band transponders and operate with over 10 kilowatts of power. The services that these satellites will back up include television broadcasting and distribution, news gathering/back haul, telephony, internet, paging, distance learning and point-of-sale networks. The Companies AssureSat will provide backup restoration services to the world's FSS geostationary satellite operators. Its shareholders include Securitas Capital, a global equity investment company funded by Swiss Reinsurance The contract made between an insurance company and a third party to protect the insurance company from losses. The contract provides for the third party to pay for the loss sustained by the insurance company when the company makes a payment on the original contract. Company and Credit Suisse Group, and SpaceVest II, L.P., a venture capital fund investing primarily in the space industry. For more information, visit AssureSat's web site at www.AssureSat.com . Sea Launch is an international launch services International Launch Services (or ILS) was formed in 1995 as a private spaceflight partnership between the United States defense contractor Lockheed Martin (LM) (LM sold their part later) and the Russian firms Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and RSC company that lifts commercial communications satellites into orbit. With its Home Port based in Long Beach, Sea Launch uses a floating platform, one of two ocean-going vessels, to launch a Zenit-3SL rocket from a position on the equator at 154 degrees West Longitude. The equatorial launch site provides the most direct route to orbit, offering customers maximum lift capacity for increased payload mass or extended spacecraft life. The marine-based operations also reduce launch infrastructure and minimize operational cost. The Sea Launch partners include Boeing, RSC RSC Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) RSC Royal Shakespeare Company RSC Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (Spanish: corporate social responsibility) RSC Royal Society of Canada Energia, KB Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash and the Anglo-Norwegian Kvaerner Group. For more information, visit the Sea Launch web site at: www.sea-launch.com . Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) is a premier designer, manufacturer and integrator of geostationary (GEO) 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, SS/L has an international list of commercial and governmental customers whose applications include broadband digital communications, wireless telephony, direct-to-home broadcast, video broadcasting, environmental monitoring and air traffic control. SS/L is ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. 9001 certified. For more information, visit www.ssloral.com . |
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