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-- Orbital to Offer New Hybrid Design Combining Traditional and Electric Propulsion for Orbit Raising and Station Keeping --
The enhanced capacity, flexibility and scalability of the GEOStar-3
platform enables us to address the requirements of the medium-size
satellite market, offering customers more payload power, higher
throughput and better overall value, said Mr.
The GEOStar-3 platform incorporates key enhancements that evolved from the GEOStar-2 bus, including an upgraded electrical power system that boosts payload power capability from 5 kilowatts up to 8 kilowatts and a physically larger bus allowing the vehicle to support communications payloads weighing up to 800 kilograms.
The company is currently under contract to deliver the first GEOStar-3 in early 2016 and is in active negotiations with several other customers for additional orders, including for its new hybrid electric propulsion (EP) platform option. The hybrid GEOStar-3 design uses traditional chemical propulsion to reach orbit in a matter of days, not months like a full EP satellite, and then performs station-keeping operations for 15 years or more with EP, resulting in an optimum mass-efficient system.
Orbital also designed the GEOStar-3 platform to enable dual-launch configurations. The ability to stack two GEOStar satellites on a single launch vehicle significantly reduces the overall system cost and provides the widest array of launch options possible, a key benefit of the GEOStar-3 platform to Orbital s customers.
The GEOStar-3 satellite will continue Orbital s tradition of industry-leading short-cycle delivery schedules. The company s small-class GEOStar-2 spacecraft are regularly delivered in 22 to 24 months and the company expects to deliver the medium-class GEOStar-3 spacecraft in 24 to 27 months. Like the GEOStar-2 satellite, the GEOStar-3 platform is designed for a service life of at least 15 years.
About Orbital
Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company s primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also provides satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to government agencies and laboratories. More information about Orbital can be found at http://www.orbital.com. Follow the company on Twitter @OrbitalSciences.
Source:
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Barron Beneski, 703-406-5528
Public
and Investor Relations
beneski.barron@orbital.com