The N-STAR c satellite will use Orbital's flight-proven STAR platform, is planned to be launched and delivered on orbit by the first quarter of 2002, and will provide S-band communications services to mobile users in Japan.

Lockheed Martin will serve as the prime contractor. In addition to the satellite, the team will provide a ground system and launch vehicle.

Orbital will be responsible for providing the space system, including the satellite bus and related ground system, as well as procuring the launch vehicle and conducting initial satellite operations.

Lockheed Martin and Orbital will jointly negotiate the N-STAR c contract, which is expected to be executed by the end of this year.

NTT Mobile Communications Network, Inc., called NTT DoCoMo, is one of Japan's leading wireless telecommunications service providers, with more than 25 million subscribers across all populated areas of Japan.

"I am extremely pleased to be working with NTT DoCoMo to bring this satellite into service. This satellite will help the company further its vision of providing wireless service for a multitude of applications, including safety of life maritime communications, which means only the best, most reliable technology can be employed," said Peter L. Kujawski, president of Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.

"The selection by NTT DoCoMo of the Lockheed Martin/Orbital team, using our state-of-the-art lightweight geosynchronous satellite bus, is another significant win for our company, following last year's wins with BSAT-2a and 2b Direct Broadcast Satellites. Orbital has rapidly emerged as one of the world's first-tier suppliers of geosynchronous satellites," said Mr. Ricardo de Bastos, head of Orbital's communications satellite business unit.

The satellite, N-STAR c, will operate in the S-band frequency band with a C-band feeder link. It will be located at either 132 or 136 degrees East and is planned for launch early in 2002. N-STAR c will be optimized for a 10-year life on-orbit, and will augment service provided by the company's N-STAR and N-STAR b satellites.

Lockheed Martin will supply the entire payload, which will be integrated onto the Orbital Sciences Corporation's Orbital STAR Bus. The satellite will be assembled and integrated at the Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems facilities in Newtown, PA. In addition to providing the bus, Orbital will coordinate launch services.

Orbital Sciences

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Moon Mystery Emerges From The X-files
Pasadena - October 21, 1999 -
Pasadena - October 21, 1999 - Reports of curious flashes and fleeting clouds on the Moon may not be figments of wild imaginations, astronomers say. A new look at observations by the American satellite Clementine show that a small area on the Moon's surface darkened and reddened in April 1994. Why this happened remains a mystery.