SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company
(Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG), announced today that its subsidiary SES ASTRA
TechCom has been selected for a project of Europe's global satellite
navigation system Galileo. Together with its Luxembourgish partner,
the technology company HITEC Luxembourg, SES ASTRA TechCom has been
chosen as lead partner to provide two large telemetry, tracking and
control (TT&C) antenna systems which will allow the ground control of
the Galileo satellite fleet when it is in orbit.
The project conducted by SES ASTRA TechCom and HITEC Luxembourg
includes the design, manufacturing, engineering and on-site
installation of the antennas as well as the related training of
personnel. The two full motion TT&C antennas with a diameter of 13
meters will be situated at two different geographical locations - one
above the polar circle and one close to the equatorial rim. The
antennas are expected to be operational in late 2007.
The subscription of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the Galileo
programme offers opportunities to Luxembourg-based companies active in
the space sector to participate in the realisation of the in-orbit
validation phase of the Galileo system.
About SES ASTRA www.ses-astra.com
The ASTRA Satellite System is the leading Direct-to-Home (DTH)
satellite system in Europe, delivering services to some 107 million
Direct-to-Home and cable households. The ASTRA satellite fleet
currently comprises 13 satellites, transmitting in excess of 1600
analogue and digital television and radio channels as well as
multimedia and Internet services. ASTRA's two prime orbital positions
for DTH services are 19.2(degrees) East and 28.2(degrees) East.
Professional services such as Direct-to cable (DTC), Satellite
Newsgathering (SNG) and Occasional Use are offered from the orbital
position of 23.5(degrees) East.
SES ASTRA is an SES GLOBAL company (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG). SES
GLOBAL wholly owns three market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA
in Europe, SES AMERICOM in the US and New Skies Satellites in the rest
of the world. The Company also holds strategic participations in
AsiaSat in Asia, Star One in Latin America, SES Sirius in Europe, Ciel
in Canada and Quetzsat in Mexico. Americom Government Services
provides network solutions and bandwidth to the US government and its
contractors. SES GLOBAL provides outstanding satellite communications
solutions via a fleet of 43 satellites across the globe. Additional
info on SES GLOBAL at: www.ses-global.com.
SES ASTRA TechCom provides operational services, technical
consultancy and high-tech products as well as integrated solutions to
the satellite industry. The Luxembourg-based SES affiliate is offering
the technical expertise and experience of SES ASTRA to satellite
manufacturers and operators as well as to broadcasters and public
organisations.
About HITEC Luxembourg
HITEC Luxembourg S.A., a 100% owned Luxembourg company, was
incepted in 1986 and has developed its business activities in the
field of innovative and quality products and services. The company is
ISO 9001:2000 certified for engineering, analyses, consulting,
manufacturing and sales of systems in mechanics, electronics, physical
measuring techniques, microprocessors and data processing. HITEC
Luxembourg offers high technology solutions covering different
business areas: satellite ground segment technology; customer specific
and standard equipment for testing and measuring of physical
properties; engineering; consulting and project management. HITEC
Luxembourg S.A. serves private and public sector customers at a
national and international level. Its business objectives, as a
specialized high technology provider are to achieve a strong
sustainable market position; to expand its activities at an
international level as well as to promote the Luxembourg site through
the realization of innovative high quality value-added products and
services. For more information: www.hitec.lu or
www.hitec-luxembourg.com.