Harris Corporation Announces Successful On-Orbit Deployment of Largest-Ever Commercial Satellite Antennas.Business Editors/Technology Writers MELBOURNE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2000 Harris Corporation Harris Corporation NYSE: HRS is an international communications equipment company that produces wireless equipment, electronic systems, and both terrestrial and spaceborne antennas for use in the government, defense, and commercial sectors. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :HRS) announced today the successful on-orbit deployment, test, and operation of two unfurlable mesh reflectors operating onboard the Garuda 1 satellite. The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. Commercial Space Systems, in Sunnyvale, California Sunnyvale ([sʌniveil]) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 131,760. for the Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS) system, the first regional satellite-based, handheld mobile telecommunications system designed exclusively for the Asia Pacific region. When service is initiated, it will provide voice, paging and facsimile services to countries throughout Asia. Millions of customers will be able to use the same telephone and telephone number to access the service or ground-based cellular systems while traveling throughout Asia. The 4,500 kilogram satellite - the largest commercial 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 ever built by Lockheed Martin - was launched on February 12, 2000, from the Baikanour Cosmodrome, Kazakstan, aboard a Proton rocket This article contains information regarding a rocket or spacecraft which is either currently in the process of launching, or is scheduled to launch within the next 6 days. Details may change as the countdown and ascent progress. . Harris' two 12-meter diameter reflectors - the largest ever deployed on a commercial satellite - were launched while in their pre-designed, stowed and compact configuration in order to easily fit within the Proton's payload bay. Once the satellite achieved its assigned, geostationary orbit geostationary orbit A circular orbit positioned approximately 35,900 km (22,258 mi) above Earth's equator and having a period of the same duration and direction as the rotation of the Earth. , deployment of their umbrella-like structures and subsequent testing of their surfaces was initiated. On March 15, 2000, ACeS successfully placed the first phone call using the full system and has completed over 500 calls since that time. With initial retail pricing below US$1.00 per minute, ACeS will be the world's most inexpensive satellite telephony service. Engineers and technicians from Harris' Government Communications Systems Division began designing and developing the unique reflectors in 1996. Delivery of the equipment to Lockheed Martin for satellite integration was made in the summer of 1998. Both mechanical assemblies include a two-segment boom connected by a hinged joint, the mesh reflector reflector: see telescope. itself, and associated fastening hardware for attachment to the satellite. Each reflector passed extremely stringent pre-launch RF testing in the company's Passive Intermodulation in·ter·mod·u·la·tion n. Modulation of the frequencies of electromagnetic waves occurring when the waves interact as they are transmitted through a nonlinear electronic system. facility in Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,382. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 76,646. . "We are very pleased with the success of the Garuda 1 reflectors," said Bob Henry, president, Harris Government Communications Systems Division. "Unfurlable reflectors are a core product for Harris and this success not only enhances our standing with Lockheed Martin but also helps in our efforts to leverage government technologies into commercial markets". Harris is currently working on a second set of 12-meter reflectors for Lockheed Martin supporting the Garuda 2 satellite. In addition to work on both the Garuda satellites, Harris was recently awarded another multi-million dollar contract by Lockheed Martin to provide a similar 5-meter reflector solution for the NSTAR-c satellite. NSTAR-c is slated for launch in 2002. Once operational, the satellite will supplement portable maritime telephony and data services throughout Japan. The Government Communications Systems Division of Harris Corporation conducts advanced research studies, develops prototypes, and produces state-of-the-art airborne, spaceborne space·borne adj. Operating in or involving equipment operating in outer space: a spaceborne satellite. , and terrestrial communications and information processing systems for military and government agencies, their prime contractors, and the company's commercial businesses, as well as select commercial organizations worldwide. Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) is an international communications equipment company focused on providing product, system, and service solutions that take its customers to the next level. The company provides a wide range of products and services for commercial and government communications markets such as wireless, broadcast, government, and network support. The company has sales and service facilities in 90 countries. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com. |
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