Saab Ericsson Space wins Hotbird 8 contract

Saab Ericsson Space AB in Gothenburg, Sweden, has signed an agreement with EADS Astrium Ltd in Portsmouth, UK, for the supply of 26 Ku-band downconverters for the Hotbird 8 satellite payload.

- We are happy to see signs of a market up-turn in commercial satellite orders and pleased that we are among those world-class suppliers capable of delivering the payload equipment needed, says Bengt Mörtberg, president and CEO of Saab Ericsson Space.

Saab Ericsson Space has last year delivered 26 converters to EADS Astrium for the Amazonas program and before that to the Intelsat X and Eutelsat W3A satellites.

- We are looking forward to continue supplying converters to EADS Astrium and also to other satellite builders that have not yet realized our capabilities, adds Mörtberg.

The frequency converters now ordered are of a Saab Ericsson Space’s generic design for C- and Ku-band converters and receivers for FSS/BSS payloads. To date, hundreds of units of this kind have been delivered. The converters will be manufactured and tested in Saab Ericsson Space facilities in Gothenburg for delivery in 2004.

Frequency converters and receivers are one of Saab Ericsson Space’s key products. Since the 1980s, the company has delivered to both commercial and institutional programs in frequencies spanning from UHF to Ka band and for applications in fixed or broadcasting services, mobile communication and multimedia.

Hotbird 8 is a communication satellite ordered by Eutelsat. The satellite will join Eutelsat’s constellation of Hotbird broadcasting satellites at 13 degrees east, providing television, radio and interactive services in Europe, North Africa and in the Middle East.

Saab Ericsson Space is an international, independent supplier of space equipment. The company’s main products are computers, microwave electronics and antennas for spacecraft and adapters and separation systems for launchers. The company has its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, a division located in Linköping, Sweden, and subsidiaries in Austria (Austrian Aerospace) and the USA (Saab Ericsson Space Inc). Saab Ericsson Space has approximately 520 employees. The company is jointly owned by Saab and Ericsson.

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