Posted: Wed, Sep 5, 2007, 8:28 AM ET (1228 GMT)
Globalstar has signed a contract with Arianespace for the launch of the satellite communications company's next generation of low Earth orbit satellites, the two companies announced Tuesday. Arianespace will launch the first 24 satellites of Globalstar's next-generation system on four Soyuz rockets from French Guiana, starting in mid-2009. These satellites will be combined with eight replacement first-generation satellites, four of which were launched in May and the other four to be launched later this year, to provide an initial next-generation satellite constellation. Globalstar has contracted for a total of 48 next-generation satellites from Thales Alenia Space; those satellites will be held in reserve on the ground. The Arianespace contract does include an option for four additional launches that could be used for the remainder of next-generation satellites. Globalstar, which launched its initial constellation of spacecraft between 1998 and 2000 on Delta 2 and Soyuz vehicles, is racing to replace those older satellites, which are suffering from equipment failures that prevent them from providing telephone services.
