Artist's impression of the MEASAT-3 spacecraft. Credit: BSS

Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. and Boeing Satellite Systems, a unit of The Boeing Company, announced the entrance into a contract for the procurement of a high-power commercial communications satellite.

The new Boeing 601HP satellite, designated MEASAT-3, will join the existing Boeing-built MEASAT-1 and MEASAT-2 spacecraft in the Malaysia-East Asia Satellite (MEASAT) system. MEASAT-3 will be co-located with MEASAT-1 at 91.5 degrees East longitude and will provide expansion and back-up capacity for Binariang to meet the increasing market demand for satellite services within the region. Boeing will also provide an upgrade to the MEASAT ground facilities on Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia, training and launch support services.

"Based on the success and reliability of the initial two Boeing satellites we are delighted to once again appoint Boeing as the manufacturer of MEASAT-3," said Tun Hanif Omar, Director of Binariang Satellite Systems.

"The MEASAT fleet enjoys one of the highest utilization rates within the region. The launch of MEASAT-3 ensures Binariang can continue to serve the growth requirements of our existing customers while providing additional capacity for fully integrated video, data and VSAT services in Asia and new markets in South and Central Asia, Middle East and Africa."

"Boeing is very pleased to continue its long-standing relationship with Binariang, to whom we have provided Boeing 376 satellites and ground systems since 1994," said Dave Ryan, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International, a subsidiary of Boeing Satellite Systems. "Through this hard-fought competition, Boeing also has demonstrated that it is able to compete effectively, with high-quality and highly reliable satellite systems."

Scheduled for launch in 2005, MEASAT-3 will employ 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders, each providing 36 MHz of bandwidth over a 15-year minimum service life. MEASAT-3 C-Band payload will cover Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia and Australia. The Ku Band payload has been designed to provide high-powered flexible service options for the development of data services and Direct-to-Home applications in Malaysia, China and India.

Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. is the only licensed commercial satellite operator in Malaysia. Binariang pioneered the development of high-powered Ku-band Direct-to-Home services into South East Asia with the launch of MEASAT-1 and MEASAT-2 in 1996, providing C-band and Ku-band connectivity spanning India, Asia, Australia and the U.S. via Hawaii.

Boeing Satellite Systems is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites and a major provider of space systems, satellites, and payloads for national defense, science and environmental applications.