Posted: Tue, Jun 10, 2003, 10:24 AM ET (1424 GMT)
French satellite manufacturer Alcatel announced Tuesday that it has won a contract to build a commercial and military communications satellite for South Korea. Alcaltel said it signed a contract with KT Corporation and the Korean Agency for Defense Development to build the Koreasat 5 satellite. The 148-million-euro (US$$173-million) spacecraft, based on the Spacebus 4000 platform, will carry a total of 36 transponders, including Ku- and C-band transponders for commercial applications and SHF-band for military use. The spacecraft will replace the existing Koreasat 2 spacecraft. KT, which announced the deal separately on Sunday, said that it plans to have the satellite in orbit in early 2006; no launch contract for the payload has been announced.

Related Links:

•  Alcatel press release
•  Reuters article
•  AFP article