Northrop Grumman has announced that it has been selected by Intelsat to build two C-band satellites that will operate in the upper portion of the C-band spectrum, a range of wireless radio frequencies that are used for critical telecommunications and data connectivity around the world. This award supports the Federal Communication Commission’s order to make the lower portion of the C-band spectrum available to mobile network operators to further the rollout of critical 5G services.
These satellites, Galaxy 33 (G-33) and Galaxy 34 (G-34), will be based on Northrop Grumman’s flight-proven GEOStar platform. Northrop Grumman has previously built 11 GEO communications satellites for Intelsat and more than 40 GEOStar spacecrafts overall.
Amer Khouri, Vice President, communication missions, Northrop Grumman, commented that this award expands their long-standing relationship with Intelsat and reflects their continued confidence in the innovative and reliable space systems. Coming on the heels of the successful pioneering Mission Extension Vehicle operations, they are now in advanced preparations to launch the Galaxy 30 and MEV-2 satellites for Intelsat later this summer.
Intelsat Chief Services Office Mike DeMarco, stated that Intelsat is proud to collaborate with their trusted partner Northrop Grumman on these C-band satellite builds. Earlier this year, they celebrated a historic first in-orbit docking with their innovative MEV-1 and the Intelsat 901 satellite, and they’re now actively preparing to launch the Northrop Grumman-built Galaxy 30 and MEV-2, which will share a ride to space later this summer.
The C-band satellites are set to launch in the summer of 2022.
