Hong Kong, July 31st 2013, Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) announced today the confirmation of the build of ABS-2A, a multi-beam 48 transponder Ku- satellite which will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2015 to ABS’ prime 75°E location. ABS-2A, covering the growing markets of Russia, India, Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and the Indian Ocean region, will follow ABS-2, the largest satellite to be launched over Asia scheduled in late 2013. With 2.6 GHz of Ku-band spectrum, ABS-2A nearly doubles the available Ku-band frequencies available at 75°E. Together with ABS-2, ABS-2A will deliver a total of 100 x 54MHz Ku-band capacity to 75°E to a growing list of premium DTH customers, VSAT operators and Maritime & Mobility customers.
ABS-2A with 7.5kW of payload power is the second of the four Boeing 702SP all electric satellites that ABS is purchasing from Boeing Satellite Systems International in partnership with Satmex. ABS-2A, along with ABS-3A, is part of the 702SP production line, an all electric propulsion satellite that minimizes the spacecraft’s mass and maximizes available payload. It will be dual launched with its co-passenger Satmex-9, on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, in the fourth quarter of 2015.
“We are very excited to confirm ABS-2A, our second 702SP Boeing satellite which carries the industry innovating, all-electric propulsion system. We are extremely pleased that we are able to partner again with Satmex to launch ABS-2A along with Satmex-9 in the fourth quarter of 2015,” said Tom Choi, CEO of ABS. “The next three years will be very exciting for ABS as we are completing a US$750M satellite expansion program delivering three new satellites over the next 36 months with ABS-2 to 75°E, ABS-3A to 3°W and ABS-2A to 75°E. ABS already has over $800M of backlog and we anticipate this to grow over $1B this year. When we deliver ABS-2A to orbit in 2015, we anticipate our annual revenue will more than triple from 2013. The majority of the customers who have confirmed contracts on ABS-2 have already committed to ABS-2A. It’s truly exciting and pleasing to see the boldness of our plans being matched by the commitment of our anchor customers.”
About Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS)
Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) is one of the fastest growing premium satellite operators in the world. ABS offers a complete range of End-to-End solutions including direct-to-home (DTH) and cable TV distribution (CATV), cellular backhaul, VSAT and Internet backbone services with diverse IP transit through its European and Asian internet gateways. ABS’ satellite fleet includes five operational satellites with a sixth satellite (ABS-2) under construction and expected to be launched in late 2013, providing coverage over Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and CIS countries. For more information, visit www.absatellite.com
About Satmex
Satélites Mexicanos (Satmex) is a significant provider of fixed satellite services (FSS) in the Americas, with coverage of more than 90% of the population of the region. As one of only two privately-managed FSS providers based in Latin America, Satmex (together with its predecessors) has designed, procured, launched and operated three generations of satellites over a 25 year period. Satmex’s current fleet is comprised of three satellites in highly attractive, contiguous orbital slots that enable its customers to effectively serve their entire coverage footprint utilizing a single satellite connection.
About Boeing
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $33 billion business with 59,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.