Space

Transfer of Star One C1 satellite to its launch site in French Guiana

04 October 2007

Cannes, October 4, 2007 - Thales Alenia Space announced that it has transferred the Star One C1 communications satellite to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.

Star One C1 is dedicated to the Brazilian satellite operator Star One, owned by Embratel (80%) and GE International Holdings (20%), and will provide telecommunication, multimedia and high speed internet services to South America.. With this satellite, Star One will reinforce its position as the major regional operator in Latin America.

Based on Thales Alenia Space Spacebus 3000 B3 platform, the satellite will carry 28 transponders in C-band, 14 in Ku-band and 1 in X-band, it will weight 4100 kg at launch, has an electrical power of 10.5 kW (beginning of life) and will be positioned at 65° West.

As the Star One C1 launch campaign should start shortly, Thales Alenia Space is also finalizing the manufacturing of Star One C2, another satellite for Star One.

Thales Alenia Space will be a major supplier on 14 launches this year, including four communications satellites1, three observation satellites2, two observation payloads3, one scientific payload4, eight first-generation Globalstar satellites, two modules for the International Space Station5 .

1 Galaxy 17, Chinasat 6B, Star One C1, RascomQAF-1
2 Radarsat-2, COSMO-SkyMed-1 and 2
3 Sar Lupe 2 and 3,
4 AGILE
5 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%). Together with Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space forms a Space Alliance between the two groups. The company is a worldwide reference in telecoms, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. With 7200 employees and 11 industrial sites, Thales Alenia Space is located in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium.