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Saturday July 18, 2009

Measat looks at launching fifth satellite


CYBERJAYA: Measat Satellite System Sdn Bhd may launch another satellite to add to its existing four satellites in orbit, said chief operating officer Paul Brown-Kenyon.

“We are in discussions to have the fifth satellite either by developing it ourselves or through joint venture with another partner,” he said yesterday at the launch of Measat-3a, which also marked the success of its latest satellite in in-orbit testing and entered into full commercial services.

The Measat-3a was launched into orbit on June 22.

Orbital Sciences Corp global communication senior vice-president Chris Marshall (left) and Measat space system development senior vice-president Dr Ali R Ebadi at the launch.

Brown-Kenyon said the process of developing and launching a new satellite would take two to three years and if the discussions were positive, Measat would make the announcement in the next six to 12 months.

“Malaysia is given 17 orbital slots; the opportunity to develop more satellites is there to cater to demand locally and internationally,” he said.

Meanwhile, Brown-Kenyon said the company had secured customers for over half of Measat-3a’s capacity, so the satellite was expected to be earnings-accretive before the end of this year.

Measat-3a is able to provide satellite services to over 145 countries, spanning from Australia to Nigeria.

Measat is expected to earn US$100mil annually in the next three to four years through the four satellites it owns, from the current US$60mil, according to Brown-Kenyon.

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