OTTAWA – Alcatel Alenia Space will build a new satellite for Ciel Satellite, Ciel has announced.
The Ciel-2 geosynchronous satellite will be operated by Ciel from 129 degrees West and deliver services throughout North America. The Spacebus 4000 C4 spacecraft, using all Ku-band, will be the largest Spacebus class satellite ever built, featuring high frequency re-use and both regional and spot beams.
The Ciel-2 satellite, the first new satellite in Ciel’s fleet, is scheduled to launch in late 2008 and being in use for at least 16 years.
“We expect Ciel-2 to deliver outstanding performance in Canada and elsewhere in North America,” said Kevin Smyth, Ciel’s CEO.
The company has plans to launch yet more birds. “Ciel-2 will be the first of many spacecraft we hope to bring into service to the benefit of Canadian and North American customers, and we are pleased to note that Canadian subcontractors, including ComDev, will be participating in this satellite’s construction,” said Dave Lewis, Ciel’s President and COO.
Ciel Satellite LP is Canada’s independent satellite facilities operator, which began operations last summer. It’s owned by a group of Canadian investors, including BPC Telecommunications Corporation, owned by OMERS, one of Canada’s largest pension funds.
