Next-generation Ka-band satellite, Jabiru-1, completes PDR milestone

Australian satellite company NewSat Ltd and Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) have completed the preliminary design review (PDR) of the Jabiru-1 Program, NewSat’s next-generation Ka-band satellite.

During the five-day PDR, representatives from NewSat and LMCSS thoroughly reviewed the spacecraft’s design and advanced capabilities. The completion of the PDR milestone demonstrates that the design meets NewSat’s critical requirements to provide high-powered satellite capacity to enterprise and government customers and advances the Jabiru-1 program into the critical design review (CDR) phase.

LMCSS commenced construction of the Jabiru-1 satellite at its Newtown, Pennsylvania, US facility in January 2012. The Jabiru-1 satellite uses the A2100 spacecraft platform and will feature 50 Ka-band high-powered transponders, configured in a variety of spot beams, regional beams and steerable beams to provide flexible communication solutions for a range of diverse applications.

The satellite has been designed for a minimum service life of 15 years with a total payload of 8.3 GHz and will provide 7.6 GHz of new Ka-band capacity to high-demand regions over the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

Adrian Ballintine, NewSat Founder and CEO, said: “Lockheed Martin is a global powerhouse in the world of space manufacturing and we are pleased to announce the completion of another significant milestone on the path to Jabiru-1’s 2014 launch.”

Jabiru-1’s construction is on schedule for launch in 2014 with Arianespace.