The Export-Import Bank of the US (Ex-Im Bank) has approved two separate deals worth more than $1.2bn to fund the export of US-made telecommunications satellites to Mexico and Australia.
The bank is providing a $922m loan from Morgan Chase & Co of New York to Mexico’s Secretariat of Communications and Transportation to support the export of three satellites and associated equipment for its MEXSAT regional mobile satellite system.
The three satellites include two Boeing-manufactured mobile service satellites (MSS) and a fixed service satellite (FSS) from Orbital Sciences.
MEXSAT is a new space-based communications platform, which will assist in supporting social and economic development within Mexico and benefit various sectors through programmes focusing on education, health care, disaster relief and rural telephonic service.
Under the contract, Boeing will design and deliver an L-band MSS system, consisting of two of its 702HP geomobile satellites, a spacecraft operations centre and associated ground infrastructure.
Orbital Sciences, as a sub-contractor for Boeing, will design an FSS satellite for C-band and Ku-band communications and a spacecraft operations centre.
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By GlobalDataEx-Im Bank is also offering a $281m direct loan to Jabiru Satellite, a subsidiary of NewSat, in Southbank, Australia, for the export of Lockheed Martin Space Systems’ satellite and ground equipment.
Ex-Im Bank chairman and president Fred Hochberg said: "These transactions help sustain and grow high-quality jobs across the country and put us one step closer to meeting President Obama’s national export Initiative goal of doubling US exports by 2015."
Scheduled to be launched in 2014, Australia’s first privately-owned commercial satellite, the Jabiru-1, will rely upon a capacity of 8.1GHz to offer Ka-band and Ku-band coverage to the governments, as well as corporate and industrial sectors in the Middle East and African regions for 15 years.
MEASAT Satellite Systems of Malaysia will operate the satellite contracted from Jabiru.
This financial year, Ex-Im Bank has approved almost $1.3bn to support the exports of US satellites.
Image: Boeing will deliver two 702HP geomobile satellites for Mexico’s MEXSAT regional mobile satellite system. Photo: courtesy of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems.
