Amazonas 2 & COMSATBw-1

MilSat Services GmbH, a company set up by EADS SPACE Services and ND SatCom, will provide the German Bundeswehr's satellite communications system SatcomBW Step 2. The Federal Office for Information Management and Information Technology of the Bundeswehr (IT-AmtBw) and MilSat Services signed a contract in Koblenz, Germany on Wednesday. The contract became valid after the German budget for 2006 has been enacted. The satellites in the SatcomBw-2 system are called COMSATBw 1 and 2 With the SATCOMBw programme, the German Armed Forces will have a secure information network for use by units on deployed missions. This will allow voice and fax as well as advanced data, video, and multimedia applications. For the first time, the Bundeswehr will have a secure communications system with dedicated military communications satellites. The entire system is due to start regular operation in the year 2009 and will constitute an important step in the implementation of the Bundeswehr concept for network-centric operations.

Hispasat ordered in June 2007 another Eurostar-3000-based communications satellite from EADS Astrium. Amazonas 2 will provide a full range of telecommunications services to Brazil, and North and South America from the 61° W orbital position in geostationary orbit. Amazonas 2 will feature 54 Ku-band transponders and 10 C-band transponders. Its solar array will produce 12 kW. The 5400 kg satellite is planned to be launched in 2009.