Spacecom

Spacecom, or Space Communication (Hebrew: חלל תקשורת‎), is an Israeli communications satellite operator in the Middle East, European Union and North America headquartered in the city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Spacecom operates two satellites at orbital position 4° West – Amos-3 and Amos-7, one satellite at orbital position 65° East – Amos-4, and one satellite at orbital position 17° East – Amos-3.

For other uses, see Spacecom (disambiguation).
Space Communication Ltd.
TypePublic
TASE: SCC
IndustryCommunications
Founded1993 (1993)
RevenueNIS 513.226 million (2017)[1]
NIS 46.7 million (2017)[1]
NIS 94.2 million (2017)[1]
Total equityNIS 826.9 million (2017)[1]
ParentEurocom Group
Websitewww.amos-spacecom.com

History

Spacecom was established in 1993 with a defined goal of marketing Amos-1, a newly built communication satellite manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries. In 2003 Spacecom launched its second satellite, Amos-2, owned entirely by the company. In 2008, the Amos-3 satellite was launched to replace Amos-1 and to increase coverage and traffic abilities.[2]

Until 2005, Spacecom was a private company controlled by four companies, including IAI and Eurocom Group. It went public on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 2005.[3][4][5]

In August 2016, Spacecom shareholders agreed to sell the company for $500 million to Beijing Xinwei Technology Group via a Luxembourg business entity.[6] The deal, announced August 24, was pending the successful entry into service of Amos-6 after the launch.[7] On September 1, 2016, two days before the scheduled launch date, the satellite was destroyed during the run-up to a static fire test of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Later statements from both companies stated that negotiations were ongoing, but that the purchase price was likely to be reduced.[8][9] However, by April 2017 talks between Spacecom and Xinwei had failed, and Spacecom began a new search for buyers.[10]

Coverage

Spacecom satellites provide coverage to most of the Middle East, Europe , Asia and Sub Saharan Africa.

Services

Fleet
Main article: Amos (satellite)

Former

  • AMOS 1
  • AMOS 2 (4° W)
  • AMOS 5 (17° E) – Israeli satellite launched from Kazakhstan in 2011 by Russia's Proton-M carrier rocket to provide services to customers in Africa.[11][12] AMOS 5 initiated commercial operations in early 2012 with C- and Ku-band beams.[13] On 21 November 2015 all communications with the Amos-5 satellite were lost.[14]

In orbit

  • AMOS 3 (4° W)
  • AMOS 4 (65° E) – was successfully launched on August 31, 2013 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.[2] It will offer coverage across Southeast Asia along with high power coverage beams offering communication links from East Asia to the Middle East.
  • AMOS 7 (4° W) – Lease of AsiaSat 8
Name Bus Payload Order Launch Launch Vehicle Launch Result Launch Weight Status Remarks
Amos-1AMOS7 Ku bandN/A1996-05-16Ariane 44LSuccess961 kg (2,119 lb)N/ALaunched along Palapa C2. Sold in 2009 to Intelsat as Intelsat 24.[15]
Amos-2AMOS22 Ku bandN/A2003-12-27Soyuz-FG/FregatSuccess1,370 kg (3,020 lb)Failed on orbit[16] Reached end of life on 2017-03-31[17]
Amos-3AMOS15 Ku band and Ka bandN/A2008-04-28Zenit-3SLBSuccess1,250 kg (2,760 lb)N/AStraight GEO launch.[18]
Amos-5Ekspress-1000H18 C band and 16 Ku bandN/A2011-12-11Proton-M/Briz-MSuccess1,972 kg (4,348 lb)Failed on orbitLaunched along Luch 5A. Failed on November 21, 2015.[19]
Amos-4AMOS 40008 Ku band and 4 Ka bandN/A2013-08-31Zenit-3SLBSuccess4,250 kg (9,370 lb)N/A[20]
Amos-6AMOS 40002 S band, 43 Ku band and Ka band20122016-09-03Falcon 9 Full ThrustDestroyed Before Launch[21]5,500 kg (12,100 lb)N/AElectric propulsion for station keeping.[22]
Amos-7 SSL-1300 24 Ku band, 1 Ka band N/A 2014-08-05 Falcon 9 (launched for AsiaSat) 4,535 kg

(9,980 lb)

 N/A 4-year lease of AsiaSat 8[23]
Amos-17 BSS-702MP ka band, ku band, c band 2016 2019-08-06 Falcon 9 Success 6,500 kg

(14,330 lb)

 N/A Deployed with a free launch due to the loss of AMOS-6[24]
Amos-8 AMOS 4000 39 Ku band , 24 Ka band, 2 S band 2018 planned 2020 Falcon 9 planned 5,250 kg N/A Spacecom selected SSL to build satellite, based on SSL-1300 bus. AMOS-6 replacement. This order was eventually cancelled.

See also

References
  1. Space Communication Ltd. – Profile, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  2. Campbell, Susan J. (7 November 2011). "Spacecom Seeks to Dominate Satellite Communications Industry with AMOS Line". TCMnet.com. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  3. "Spacecom: Amos 2 will reach full capacity by year-end". Globes. 22 March 2004. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  4. חלל תקשורת סיימה בהצלחה את השלב המוסדי בהנפקה. Globes (in Hebrew). 21 December 2005. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  5. Donald H. Martin; Paul Robert Anderson; Lucy Bartamian (2007). Communication Satellites (5th ed.). Aerospace Press. p. 581. ISBN 978-1-884989-19-3. Retrieved 12 December 2011. Prior to March 2005 Spacecom had been a privately held company.
  6. "Chinese group to buy Israel's Spacecom satellite operator for $500 million". 24 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  7. "Falcon 9 explosion could have ripple effects across space industry". 1 September 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  8. "Beijing Xinwei still in talks to buy Spacecom but for a reduced price". Reuters. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  9. Henry, Caleb (7 December 2016). "Spacecom says acquisition talks with Beijing group are still ongoing". Space News. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  10. Henry, Caleb (24 April 2017). "Spacecom back on the market after Xinwei talks fizzle out". SpaceNews. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  11. Bergin, Chris (11 December 2011). "Russian Proton M launches Luch-5A and AMOS-5 satellites". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  12. "Spacecom's Amos 5 communications satellite begins operations". Globes. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  13. Briel, Robert (1 February 2012). "SatLink launches Amos-5 platforms". Broadband TV News. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  14. "Contact Lost With Israeli Communication Satellite Amos 5".
  15. Krebs, Gunter Dirk (2016-04-17). "AMOS 1 → Intelsat 24". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  16. Krebs, Gunter Dirk (2016-04-17). "AMOS 2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  17. End of the road for Amos 2
  18. Krebs, Gunter Dirk (2016-04-17). "AMOS 3 (AMOS 60)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  19. Krebs, Gunter Dirk (2016-04-17). "AMOS 5". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  20. Krebs, Gunter Dirk (2016-04-17). "AMOS 4". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  21. Malik, Tariq (1 September 2016). "SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Explodes on Launch Pad in Florida". Space.com. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  22. Krebs, Gunter Dirk (2016-04-17). "AMOS 6". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  23. Spacecom begins service with a borrowed satellite rebranded Amos-7
  24. "SpaceX successfully launches twice-flown Falcon 9, catches fairing at sea". Retrieved August 6, 2019.
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