• Forum
• SITREP
• Military
• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security

• Space

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Public Eye

Galaxy 17 telecommunication satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, is ready for launch

26 April 2007

The Galaxy 17 satellite, for which Thales Alenia Space is prime contractor, is ready for launch. Dedicated to reach the Intelsat fleet, Galaxy 17 will be launched on May 3 from the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, with an Ariane 5 rocket.

Galaxy 17 is fitted with 24 Ku-band and 24 C-band transponders, and will provide television and telephony services in North America for the global operator Intelsat. Based on a Spacebus 3000 B3 platform, it will weigh approximately 4,100 kg at launch, and has beginning-of-life electrical power of about 9.5 kW.

Intelsat is the largest provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. It enables providers of media, telecom and government services to deliver information and entertainment to people at home, in the office or on the move.

This is the first launch under the prime contractorship of Thales Alenia Space, which is a major supplier on 15 launches this year. This includes seven communications satellites1, three observation satellites2, two communications payloads3, one scientific payload4, eight first-generation Globalstar satellites and three modules for the International Space Station5 .

1 Galaxy 17, Star One C1 et C2, Chinasat 6B et 9, RascomQAF-1
2 Radarsat-2, COSMO-SkyMed-1 et 2
3 Amos-3, Express AM33
4 AGILE
5 ATV Jules Verne, Colombus, Node 2

About Thales Alenia Space
European leader in satellite systems and at the forefront of orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%) and forms the "Space Alliance" together with Telespazio. The company is a worldwide reference for space developments that impact everybody's future: from navigation to telecommunications, from meteorology to environmental monitoring, from defense to science and observation. With 7200 employees and 11 industrial sites, Thales Alenia Space is located in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium.