Under a contract with Loral Skynet Satellite Services, Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has built and launched three new-generation communications satellites, Telstar 5, 6, and 7. Launched in 1997, Telstar 5, is the highest-capacity satellite in the U.S. telecommunications industry.

The three spacecraft will serve the United States, southern Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Since the satellites are delivered in orbit, SS/L assumes complete responsibility for launch services and risk management.

The hybrid Telstar 5 and Telstar 6 are each outfitted with 24 C-band and 28 Ku-band transponders and generate a total of 3200 watts of onboard transmitter power. Telstar 7 carries 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders but uses more powerful components to provide identical rf power.

Lightweight composite materials and highly efficient techniques for dissipating thermal energy and for generating and storing electricity allow for a substantial increase in the spacecraft's abilities, with almost no increase in size and weight.

The three geostationary Telstar spacecraft are based on SS/L's three-axis, body-stabilized 1300 platform. SS/L's 1300 buses are designed to achieve long useful orbital life - in this case 12 years - through the use of a bipropellant propulsion system and a momentum-bias system for excellent stationkeeping and orbital stability. Solar arrays and nickel-hydrogen batteries provide uninterrupted electrical power.