Lockheed Martin has completed assembly of the Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1 communications satellite intended for applications by Arabsat/Hellas Sat and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
The satellite is the first of modernised LM 2100 satellites in the Arabsat-6G programme and will now undergo environmental testing.
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To be performed at Lockheed’s US facility in Sunnyvale, California, environmental testing will involve simulating the launch environments with acoustic and vibration testing, simulating the harsh space environment with vacuum and extreme temperature testing, as well as radio frequency compatibility.
The satellite will undergo performance testing to demonstrate that the payload meets critical performance expectations.
Lockheed Martin Arabsat-6G programme manager Joe Rickers said: “Environmental testing is an essential set of activities to ensure the satellite can operate as designed in the extreme conditions of space and will meet our customers’ needs.
“Now that assembly of the Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1 satellite is complete and environmental testing is on the horizon, we’re one step closer to providing greatly improved communications capabilities for our customers.”
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By GlobalDataPrior to the environmental tests, the satellite will be equipped with large communications antennae and large flexible solar arrays.
The satellite recently completed comprehensive testing as a part of a baseline integrated systems test at the company’s facility in Littleton, Colorado, where it was designed, assembled and integrated with its payload.
Remaining baseline testing will be completed before environmental testing to ensure that the fully integrated satellite is working properly before moving on to environmental testing, Lockheed stated.
The satellite is expected to be delivered to the launch site next year.
