Globalstar has announced that the first 90-day window to launch six Globalstar second-generation satellites will open on July 5, 2010. Globalstar plans to launch the new satellites during this time. The satellites will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan using the Soyuz launch vehicle.
The human-rated Soyuz is used to ferry astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station and Globalstar has previously used it eight times to successfully launch satellites into orbit.
“Confirmation of this second-generation satellite launch window is another significant milestone for the company as we prepare for our new constellation,” said Tony Navarra, President of Global Operations, Globalstar, Inc.
“Our validation tests of the satellite subsystems and thermal vacuum tests have been successfully completed and we are on schedule to begin launching our satellites this summer.”
In the summer of 2007, Globalstar signed a launch services contract with Arianespace for Globalstar’s second-generation constellation. These satellites will be integrated with the Globalstar satellites launched on the Soyuz in 2007. Globalstar’s customers will experience improvements in service as the new satellites are progressively brought into commercial service.
Once the new constellation is deployed, Globalstar expects its service will return to the industry-leading voice quality and reliability levels that customers received prior to 2007. The new constellation also secures Globalstar’s space segment beyond 2025, providing the Company with the ability to deliver both legacy and enhanced next-generation satellite voice and data services for at least the next 15 years.
