The satellite will replace Amos 5 in order not to lose the point of the sky at 17 degrees East * In regards to replacing Amos 6, the urgency is less because the point at 4 West is occupied by Amos 2 and 3 * The satellite is expected to be ready for launch in the first quarter of 2019 and allow The company has growth and development through the provision of communication services to Africa, the Middle East and Europe
Space Communications announces that it entered into an agreement with the "Boeing" group according to which the company ordered from Boeing the production of the Amos 17 satellite and its systems and other services. Boeing is a huge American company that develops and manufactures diverse aerospace products, and is one of the top satellite manufacturers in the world.
According to the terms of the Amos 17 purchase agreement, the satellite is expected to be ready for launch in the first quarter of 2019 and operate at the geostationary orbit point 17E and enable the company to grow and develop through the provision of communication services to Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
According to the agreement, Boeing will produce the Amos 17 satellite for the company and deliver it to the company's ownership at the point of the orbit designated for it, at a position in the sky 17 degrees east (the position in the sky in which the Amos 5 satellite operated), after conducting orbital tests by it, when the date of delivery and the start of service provision have been determined No later than March 20.3.2019, XNUMX.
The total consideration for the purchase of the satellite and its systems, including the hardware and software components of the ground control center for the operation of the satellite, launch support services, operational support for the satellite for its lifetime and support for operations to insure the launch of the satellite and while it is operating in orbit amounts to approximately $161 million.
Space Communications must spend directly on the maintenance and insurance of the satellite. The sum of the above direct expenses is estimated at an average amount over the years of about 5 million dollars every year. It should be noted that any addition of a satellite also requires an increase in indirect expenses such as an increase in the number of sales managers, marketing expenses and administrative and general expenses.
The company plans to raise the funding required for the project from various funding sources, including the public, institutional bodies and banks in Israel and abroad.
David Pollack, CEO of Haval Communications: "The Amos 17 satellite is an advanced, multi-beam satellite with an extremely high bandwidth in several frequency ranges, which will provide reliable solutions and offer a unique competitive advantage to our customers. The satellite from Boeing, which is a leading company in the field of aviation and space, fits well into the expansion strategy of the communication space thanks to its innovative design and the diverse and flexible services it offers which provide a response to the growing needs of the company's customers. Through Amos 17, the company is happy to return to operations in Africa and provide tailored services for the continent with competitive advantages designed in accordance with the experience we have gained. Amos 17 will strengthen Halal Kommunikation as a growing satellite operator displaying high capabilities."
As I recall, this week Minister Ofir Akunis convened a press conference in which he revealed the recommendations of the committee headed by Ministry Director Peretz Wezan to support the Israeli space industry, so that it builds a satellite every 4 years, for an Israeli operator to capture all the points of the sky in Israel's hands, so that they do not return to the for redistribution. The urgency of launching the satellite within two years stems from the fact that sky point 17 West has not been used for about a year since the sudden cessation of activity of the Amos 5 satellite - the only one in the Amos series so far that was not manufactured in Israel but in Russia. As mentioned, Boeing has committed to making the Amos 17 satellite available to the communications space within two years.
In response, Israel Aerospace Industries stated: Today's Space Communications announcement refers to the satellite that will replace Amos 5, which was a Russian-made satellite that was lost in space. At no point was there any talk of purchasing this replacement satellite from the Aerospace Industry.
