Posted: Sat, Oct 8, 2005, 10:58 AM ET (1458 GMT)
booster, company officials announced this week. A Soyuz, marketed by the French-Russian joint venture Starsem, will launch the four satellites from Baikonur in the first half of 2007, with an option for a second launch; contract terms were not disclosed. Globalstar used a half-dozen Soyuz rockets, as well as Delta 2 vehicles, to deploy 52 satellites between 1998 and 2000 for its low Earth orbit satellite communications system. A number of satellites have suffered on-orbit failures since then, however, and Globalstar has since changed from a 48-satellite operational constellation to a 40-satellite one. The four replacement satellites, along with four others, were built prior to Globalstar's Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing in 2002. Globalstar has since emerged from Chapter 11 under new ownership.

Related Links:

•  Space News article (subscription required)
•  Starsem press release