Alcatel Space, a subsidiary of Alcatel has delivered the payload for the AM22 satellite to Russian company NPO-PM, prime contractor for the Express AM satellites deployed by national operator Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC).
The payload was produced at Alcatel Space`s Toulouse plant and tested in its Cannes integration and test facility. It was then shipped to Zheleznogorsk in Siberia, where it will be integrated in the platform by NPO-PM specialists along with their counterparts from Alcatel Space. It is fitted with 24 active Ku-band transponders (and 8 onboard spares), two fixed antennas and two mobile spotbeam antennas.
This is the first time that Alcatel Space`s Cannes facility has performed environment tests on a Russian satellite payload. The close-knit teamwork between Alcatel Space`s Cannes and Toulouse staff will continue in Russia. Working under the responsibility of NPO-PM, they will participate in the satellite integration in Zheleznogorsk, then in launch operations in Baikonur and in-orbit tests from Moscow.
This is the first payload from the Express AM series to be delivered by Alcatel Space, and the sixth produced in collaboration with NPO-PM, following Express A1, A2, A3, A1R and Sesat. Production is now under way on AM11, AM2 and AM3, in a partnership that reaches back nearly 10 years. NPO-PM supplied Alcatel Space with the mounting plates for the AM22 payload, making the collaboration a two-way street.
Russia`s Express satellites offer TV, telephone and data transmission services. Their coverage zone includes Western Europe, Russia, the Middle East and the Far East. Express AM22 is slated for launch in early 2004 on a Proton rocket.
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Alcatel Space, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alcatel, is the world`s third largest satellite manufacturer and Number 1 in Europe. Deploying extensive dual expertise in civil and military applications, Alcatel Space develops satellite solutions for telecommunications, navigation, radar and optical observation, meteorology and science. The company is also the leading European prime contractor for earth observation, meteorology and navigation ground segments, and for space system operation.
Alcatel
Alcatel provides end-to-end communications solutions, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver content to any type of user, anywhere in the world. Leveraging its long-term leadership in telecommunications network equipment as well as its expertise in applications and network services, Alcatel enables its customers to focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of EURO 16.5 billion in 2002, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.
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