Globalstar Takes Delivery of Seven More Satellites

The latest set of Globalstar’s second generation satellites have been delivered to their launch site from the manufacture Thales Alenia Space. The new satellites have been shipped to Baikonur Cosmodrome’s pre-launch preparation facility in Kazakhstan. Six of the seven satellites will be prepared and tested for an October launch using the Soyuz launch vehicle. This will be the third time the Soyuz rocket has been used to launch Globalstar’s new second generation satellites. Arianespace was contracted in 2007 to provide launch services which will include four launches carrying six satellites each using the Soyuz launch vehicle.

Globalstar publically announced in 2007 they were having problems with the duplex transmitters failing on their first generation satellites. These duplex transmitters ended up later failing on most of their satellites in the constellation. The duplex transmitters handle primarily voice communication. This prompted Globalstar to build and launch a new constellation of satellites.

"With this milestone delivery of satellites, Globalstar continues to proceed, on schedule, with preparations for our third second-generation satellite launch expected in early October," said Tony Navarra, President, Global Operations for Globalstar, Inc. "With a total of eight satellites now in Baikonur, we have also started preparations for our fourth satellite launch which is now expected to take place prior to the end of the year."

According to Tom Babb VAR Distribution Manager for Globalstar U.S.A, the Globalstar communications network should be fully functional in ten months, if there are no setbacks.

Six new second generation Globalstar satellites will join the six satellites launched this summer further moving toward the completion of the new Globalstar constellation. The second generation Globalstar satellite constellation will be compatible will all their devices that have been sold in the past. These include satellite phones both handheld and fixed site, Duplex and Simplex data products which include the SPOT satellite messenger. Once the new constellation is fully deployed and functional Globalstar will be providing the world’s finest quality satellite voice and data communication service. Globalstar will provide the fastest mobile satellite handset data service to a service area covering over 120 countries.