Lockheed Martin said Monday its JCSAT-9 telecom satellite, designed and built for JSAT is ready for its planned launch at sea on April 12. The launch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Eastern Time, aboard Boeing's Zenit-3SL rocket, which will lift off from the company's Odyssey semi-submersible platform, located at an equatorial site at 154 degrees West longitude.
JCSAT-9 is the second in a series of seven satellite launches planned this year by Lockheed Martin's Commercial Space Systems division, and the first of three satellites the company is contracted to deliver to JSAT over the next two years.
The 4,400 kilogram (9,700 pound) spacecraft will provide communications services throughout Asia. JCSAT-9 is a hybrid satellite featuring 20 Ku-band channels, 20 C-band channels, as well as S-band mobile telecom service channels. It will operate from 132 degrees East longitude and is designed for a minimum service life of 12 years.
JCSAT-9 is the 28th in Lockheed Martin's A2100 spacecraft series. Based on the A2100AX platform, the spacecraft is designed for a minimum service life of 12 years.
Lockheed Martin's A2100 series has received several industry awards for reliability in its history, including Frost and Sullivan's 2004 Satellite Reliability Award for excellence in the production of flexible and reliable communications satellites used in geosynchronous Earth orbit.
JSAT Corp. is a leading satellite operator in the Asia-Pacific region, with nine satellites in eight orbital slots covering North America, Hawai`i, Asia and Oceania. JSAT provides digital CS broadcasting, satellite TV broadcasting, video and data broadcasting services for corporate and inter-company networks, and for international telecom services.
