Posted: Mon, Jun 23, 2003, 8:18 PM ET (0018 GMT)
Alcatel and Astrium announced Friday that they will jointly develop and market a new class of large communications satellites. The AlphaBus family of spacecraft are designed to provide between 12 and 18 kilowatts of power for communications payloads, a step up from what Alcatel and Astrium currently offer from the Spacebus and Eurostar, respectively, classes of communications spacecraft. The first spacecraft based on the AlphaBus design could launch as soon as 2007, although no specific customers were identified. The news comes as rumors continue to swirl about a potential merger of the two satellite manufacturers.

Related Links:

•  Alcatel press release