Signing of the contracts for Hispasat AG1 and its REDSAT payload at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget on 18 June 2009.
The contract between Hispasat S.A., a Spanish operator of telecommunications satellites, and OHB-System AG of Germany appoints OHB as the principal contractor for the entire satellite. Further, OHB will be responsible for integrating the satellite, performing the in-orbit testing and putting the satellite into operation. It will also be providing real-time support throughout the satellite's entire life cycle of 15 years.
The contract between Hispasat and a team lead by Thales Alenia Space EspaƱa, which also includes EADS CASA, is for the development of the REDSAT advanced payload. The REDSAT payload includes a regenerative on board processor based on the DVB S2/DVB RCS standard, and an advanced Ku-Band active antenna.
Hispasat AG1 will be placed in a geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36 000 kilometres, where it will supply Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands and America with multimedia services. Hispasat will be integrating Hispasat AG1 into its existing fleet of geostationary communications satellites.
From left to right: Magali Vaissiere, ESA Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications; Manfred Fuchs, President of OHB System AG; Petra Mateos-Aparicio, President of Hispasat S.A. and Angel Post, CEO of Thales Alenia Space (Espana) in the ESA Pavilion at the Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, 18 June 2009.