SSL SELECTED TO PROVIDE DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE TO BULGARIA SATPALO ALTO, Calif. – September 8, 2014 — Space Systems/Loral (SSL), a leading provider of commercial satellites, today announced that it was selected to provide a communications satellite for Bulgaria Sat, an affiliate of Bulsatcom, which is a leading telecommunications company and the largest provider of pay-TV services in Bulgaria. The satellite, which will provide Direct-to-Home (DTH) television service in the Balkan region, will be Bulgaria Sat’s first dedicated satellite. “SSL has a long history of working with both large established satellite operators and newer ventures to provide highly reliable satellites for today’s advanced services,” said John Celli, president of SSL. “It has been a pleasure to help Bulgaria Sat reach this milestone of ordering its first satellite, which will help expand connectivity in the region, bringing the latest in up-to-date information and entertainment.” The satellite, BulgariaSat-1, will provide DTH services and fixed satellite services in the Balkans and other European regions to help meet the growing demand for telecommunications services. BulgariaSat-1 will be equipped with 2 Ku-band FSS transponders and 30 Ku-band BSS transponders for fixed satellite services and advanced television services such as high definition television.“We selected SSL to manufacture our first satellite early on, based on its history of success and reliability,” said Maxim Zayakov, chief executive officer of Bulgaria Sat. “SSL has been an excellent partner in helping us bring this project to fruition.”SSL assisted Bulgaria Sat in obtaining all of the financing for the satellite, including export credit financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States. BulgariaSat-1 will be delivered in-orbit, following its launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2016. BulgariaSat-1 is based on the space-proven SSL 1300 satellite platform that provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications and technology advances. It is designed to deliver service for 15 years or more.
http://sslmda.com/html/pressreleases/pr20140908b.htmlNot bad SpaceX - they have just landed another comsat launch contract! As its name suggests, this one is from Bulgaria and is built on Loral's LS-1300 bus - the same one used for the 2 satellites of AsiaSat. (to be fair SpaceX didn't grab it all - in fact Arianespace just announced not 1 but 4 launch contracts for 3 tonne class comsats!)
Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 09/09/2014 03:09 amhttp://sslmda.com/html/pressreleases/pr20140908b.htmlNot bad SpaceX - they have just landed another comsat launch contract! As its name suggests, this one is from Bulgaria and is built on Loral's LS-1300 bus - the same one used for the 2 satellites of AsiaSat. (to be fair SpaceX didn't grab it all - in fact Arianespace just announced not 1 but 4 launch contracts for 3 tonne class comsats!)I surmise that if ArianeSpace has reduced its prices enough to compete with SpaceX in the light satellite category, their profits must be very slim to nonexistent. Either that or they're supplying some sort of deal sweetener, like low-interest financing.
They launch two at a time and probably charge more for the heavier one.
Well, as a Bulgarian who has been following this forum for almost a year now, it is a suitable thread for a first on-topic post Congrats to Bulsatcom for thier first satelite.. and of course to SpaceX for grabbing this launch.Just wait for F9's reusable first stage.. if we are looking at launches for 20-ish mil. usd, then I have no idea how ArianeSpace and similar will compete in this class launches.Do we know the value of the contracts for SpaceX's BulgariaSat and AS's new ones?
Do we know the value of the contracts for SpaceX's BulgariaSat and AS's new ones?
BulgariaSat-1 #satellite has begun thermal vacuum testing, which simulates the harsh conditions of #space.
Two years after Bulsatcom started production of the first Bulgarian geostationary communications satellite, the company has only one test away from full technological readiness of the facility for launch into space. The manufacturer of satellites - the leading company in the sector - Space Systems / Loral (SSL) officially confirmed that BulgariaSat-1 is passed vibration tests...The full technical readiness of the satellite for launch into space, there is only phase for testing antennas in a facility called Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR). Once finalized vibration test, BulgariaSat-1 has been fully tested to be sure that continued to function normally and its components remain completely unharmed....Manufacture of satellites was awarded the leading company in this field - Space Systems / Loral (SSL), based in Silicon Valley in the US. BulgariaSat-1 is scheduled to be launched by the end of 2016 through the launch vehicle Falcon 9 company SpaceX.
QuoteThe launch of the Bulgarian satellite will be carried out by NASA and will be broadcast live from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
The launch of the Bulgarian satellite will be carried out by NASA and will be broadcast live from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
Peter B. de Selding @pbdes 1h1 hour agoBulgaria Sat CEO: We can handle a 6-month delay at SpaceX (was scheduled late 2016, now unknowable). Beyond 6 months, customers may leave.
SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 21 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian telecommunications company Bulsatcom said on Friday its geostationary communications satellite, BulgariaSat-1 - the country's first - has successfully completed all major assembly and test procedures at Space Systems/Loral (SSL) in Palo Alto, California.“We are now proceeding to the satellite’s shipment to the launch base,” Maxim Zayakov, CEO of Bulsatcom and its affiliate Bulgaria Sat, said in a statement. “Currently, we are at the stage of planning of launch window.”Before preparations for shipment began, SSL and Bulgaria Sat technicians performed several final checks on BulgariaSat-1, including a test designed to simulate the satellite’s solar array deployments in the zero-gravity environment of space, final integration and test of the satellite’s reflectors, and other important tests to ensure that the satellite will perform nominally during its design life, according to the statement.At the launch base in Cape Canaveral, Florida the satellite will be integrated into a SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket which will take it into orbit. BulgariaSat-1 will be positioned into orbit at 36,000 km above the Earth, providing television and communication services covering the Balkans and other European regions. Within 30 days of the launch, the satellite will be operationally ready to broadcast a large number of high quality TV programmes to end-users.Bulsatcom is a leading telecommunications company and the largest pay-TV services provider in Bulgaria.
Any chance this launces mid-June? There seems to be an opportunity from LC39A between CRS-11 (May 31) and Intelsat 35e (late June), or would we already know about it?
It's amazing that BulgariaSat was inspired by the success of SES-10 to reuse one of the Falcon 9 boosters.
Quote from: ZachS09 on 05/05/2017 11:49 amIt's amazing that BulgariaSat was inspired by the success of SES-10 to reuse one of the Falcon 9 boosters.BulgariaSat was persuaded by SpaceX to use a reused booster even before SES-10 was launched.