LM's BSAT-3a ready for launching

NEWTOWN, Pa., Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A U.S.-built communications satellite for Japan is due to be launched Tuesday.

"The BSAT-3a broadcasting satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin for the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation of Japan, is ready for its scheduled launch on Aug. 14 aboard an Ariane 5-ECA launch vehicle provided by Arianespace," Lockheed Martin said in a statement. BSAT-3a "will be located at orbital location 110 degrees East longitude," the company said.

"The BSAT-3a communications payload contains 12 130-W Ku-band channels -- eight operating at one time," the company said. "With a design life of more than 13 years, BSAT-3a is based on the A2100A platform manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, Newtown, Pa. BSAT-3a marks the 12th Lockheed Martin satellite contract awarded in the 1- to 4-kW class satellite range," it said.

Lockheed Martin said BSAT-3a would be "the sixth Direct Broadcasting Satellite in the 12GHz BSS band procured by B-SAT."

"The Lockheed Martin A2100 geosynchronous spacecraft series is designed to meet a wide variety of telecommunications needs including Ka-band broadband and broadcast services, fixed satellite services in C-band and Ku-band, high-power direct broadcast services using the Ku-band frequency spectrum and mobile satellite services using UHF, L-band, and S-band payloads. The A2100's modular design features a reduction in parts, simplified construction, increased on-orbit reliability and reduced weight and cost," the company said.

Lockheed Martin said the A2100 spacecraft could be "configured for missions other than communication."

"The A2100 design is currently being adapted for geostationary earth orbit (GEO)-based earth observing missions and is currently the baselined platform for Lockheed Martin’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Series-R (GOES-R) proposal. The A2100 also serves as the platform for critical government communications programs including Advanced Extremely High Frequency and Mobile User Objective System and is the foundation for Lockheed Martin's Transformational Satellite Communications System -- TSAT -- offering," it said.