OTTAWA and SASKATOON – With a new satellite set launch late next year, Canada’s youngest satellite company, Ciel Satellite Group, announced today that it has selected SED Systems, a division of Calian Ltd, to expand SED’s satellite control center facilities in Saskatoon in preparation for that new bird.
The expanded facilities will be used for the initiation of tracking, telemetry and control (TT&C) operations for Ciel-2, the satellite which is planned for operation by the first quarter of 2009.
“Establishing the Ciel TT&C center is an important milestone in our development as Canada’s newest satellite operator,” said Dave Lewis, president and CEO of Ciel. “SED offered us the best quality proposal, and their experience operating low earth orbit (LEO) spacecraft gave us complete confidence in their ability to monitor and control Ciel-2.”
“This affords SED an excellent opportunity to expand our facilities and build on our extensive experience in satellite operations,” added Brent McConnell, president of SED. “We look forward to working with Ciel and its partners in monitoring and controlling the Ciel-2 spacecraft.”
Headquartered in Saskatoon, SED is ideally located, in terms of look-angle to Ciel-2’s 129 degree West orbital position. In March 2008, ground will be broken to install the monitoring antenna, while the entire facility renovation and upgrade is expected to be complete by the end of summer 2008, say the companies.
SED is the Systems Engineering Division of Calian which plans, designs and implements solutions for many of the world’s leading communications satellite manufacturers and operators, as well as providing contract manufacturing services for customers in North America. SED has been providing satellite operations services in Canada since 1995.
The Ciel Satellite Group was founded in 2004, received preliminary authorization to operate a satellite at 129 degrees West that same year, and began commercial operations in August 2005. Ciel was awarded additional spectrum licences by Industry Canada in June 2007.
The partners and shareholders of Ciel are: 620582 NB Ltd., an investment company led by Brian Neill, the founder and former chairman of Star Choice, BPC Telecommunications Corporation, owned by pension fund OMERS, and SES S.A. (Euronext Paris, and Luxembourg stock exchange: SESG), which owns SES ASTRA in Europe, SES AMERICOM in the US, and SES NEW SKIES in the Netherlands, and holds strategic investments in Ciel in Canada, SES Sirius in Europe, and QuetzSat in Mexico.
