Nordic Satellite AB, which owns and operates satellites in the SIRIUS system serving Europe, has contracted with International Launch Services (ILS) to launch its next generation SIRIUS 4 satellite in Q2 2007.
The high-powered SIRIUS 4 spacecraft, which will feature 52 Ku-band transponders, as well as a 2-transponder Ka-band payload, is currently being built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS). The first mission of SIRIUS 4 will be to provide replacement capacity for NSAB’s existing SIRIUS 2 and SIRIUS 3 satellites in the Nordic and Baltic markets as well as to enhance coverage in Eastern Europe and Russia. This mission is supported by 46 active Ku-band transponders in the BSS and FSS frequency bands. As a second mission SIRIUS 4 will provide one wide-beam Ka-band transponder for interactive applications in Scandinavia and the Baltic States. The third mission of SIRIUS 4 will be to provide a sub-Saharan Africa beam complementing existing (ASTRA 2B) or upcoming (ASTRA 4A) African coverage within the SES GLOBAL fleet. This mission will be supported by a payload consisting of 6 active Ku-band transponders and an additional Ka-band transponder for inter-connections between Africa and Europe.
http://www.nsab-sirius.com
