Satellite News

SES Astra said it was further extending the distribution of its high speed Internet access product Astra2Connect in Europe and has reached an agreement making the product available to consumers in Poland as of January 2008.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved the US$16.4 billion sale of Intelsat Holdings Ltd. to Serafina Holdings Ltd., an investment vehicle primarily owned by private equity firm BC Partners Ltd.

An insurance contract for the Vinasat 1 satellite will be signed between the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the Vietnam Insurance Group (Bao Viet) and the Post Insurance Company (PTI) on 21 December in Hanoi.

Lockheed Martin announced that its navigation payload provider, ITT Corporation, has delivered a new demonstration payload for a modernised Global Positioning System Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) satellite for integration on the spacecraft and final system-level testing in preparation for launch next year.

Reshetnev NPO PM and Thales Alenia Space (TAS) specialists have successfully completed UHF electric testing of the Ekspress-AM33 satellite, NPO PM said. Meanwhile the next satellite in the series, Ekspress-AM44, has been made lighter.

Rocket: Delta II 7925-9.5; Payload: GPS IIR-18M; Date: 20 December 2007, 2004 UTC; Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The navigation satellite was successfully placed in orbit 68 minutes after lift-off.