DENVER, Aug. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A team of engineers
and technicians at Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has completed the
integration of the company's first modernized A2100 satellite. The
spacecraft, known as Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1, now moves into
final assembly and testing, on track for launch in the second
quarter of 2018.
Built for Arabsat and King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology, Saudi Arabia, the
satellite will provide advanced telecommunications capabilities,
including television, internet, telephone and secure mode
communications, to customers in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
"We've modeled this activity in our virtual reality lab hundreds
of times, but this is the first time we've performed the
integration activity of our modernized A2100 satellite in a clean
room," said Rick Ambrose, executive
vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems. "Mating the
scalable modules together in a precise method was a critical step
for the program, and the team did an exceptional job."
This milestone on a modernized A2100 satellite sees the hybrid
propulsion integrated with the payload module and transponder
panels. Using a combination of electrical Hall current thrusters
and liquid apogee engine, the propulsion subsystem serves as the
structural backbone of the satellite and is essential for
maneuvering it into its final orbit as well as keeping it on
station throughout its mission.
The modernized A2100 builds on a flight-proven bus that is the
foundation for more than 40 satellites in orbit today. Through an
internally-funded, multi-year modernization effort, Lockheed Martin
has enhanced the spacecraft's power, propulsion and electronics,
while also adopting the latest advanced engineering and
manufacturing techniques to decrease production costs and
timelines. There are five modernized A2100 satellites currently
under contract to Lockheed Martin. They are designed for a host of
missions and customers around the globe.
Additional information about commercial communications
satellites: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/commercialspace
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda,
Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace
company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is
principally engaged in the research, design, development,
manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology
systems, products and services.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin