About Hughes Space and Communications Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation, and Hughes Space and Communications Company, an operating unit, are headquartered in suburban Los Angeles, Calif. Since 1961 Hughes Space and Communications Company -- and its predecessors, the Space and Communications Group and the Hughes Space Systems Division -- has engaged in the development and production of state-of-the-art space and communications systems for military, commercial, and scientific uses.

These systems supply communications and meteorological observations for domestic and international customers and meet many of the military and scientific space system requirements of the U.S. government.

Hughes Space and Communications Company is headed by Tig H. Krekel, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Communications Satellite Systems

Hughes designed and built the world's first synchronous communications satellite, Syncom, which was launched in 1963. Since then Hughes has produced nearly 40 percent of the satellites now in commercial service worldwide. These spacecraft routinely relay digital communications, telephone calls, video conferences, television news reports, facsimiles, television programming, mobile communications, and direct-to-home entertainment -- truly global communications.

Hughes offers a range of satellite sizes to suit customers' varied power and capacity needs. The smallest is the spin-stabilized HS 376. Available in several configurations, the HS 376 ranges from 800 to 2,000 watts and features 24 transponders in C- or Ku-band, or a combination of both. Next is the body-stabilized HS 601 series. The basic configuration features as many as 48 transponders and offers up to 4,800 watts. A higher-power version, the HS 601HP features as many as 60 transponders and uses dual-junction gallium arsenide solar cells and other new technologies to provide up to 8,700 watts. In 1995, Hughes introduced a more powerful body-stabilized design, the HS 702, with capacity for as many as 94 operating transponders and offering 15,000 watts at end of life. Nine HS 702 spacecraft have been ordered, and the first was launched in 1999.

In 1999, Hughes extended its product line to include two additional spacecraft models, the HS 601+ and the HS 702+. With these enhancements, Hughes now has the ability to offer satellites with up to 25,000 watts and end-of-life.

In 1997, Hughes received its first order for an HS GEM spacecraft model. Designed for geomobile communications, the HS GEM draws upon the technical heritage of the HS 601 and the technical advances inherent in the larger, more powerful HS 702. Two HS GEM spacecraft have now been ordered.

The HS 376 model boasts customers in Asia, Australia, the Americas and Europe. Fifty-five had been ordered by the end of 1999, making it one of the most-purchased satellite models in the world, second only to the HS 601.

With more than 76 satellites ordered by the end of 1999, the HS 601 is the top-selling spacecraft line. Customers in Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States bought HS 376 models, then returned to Hughes for HS 601s. Others have purchased multiple HS 601s, the largest customers being Société Européenne des Satellites, the U.S. Navy, and ICO Global Communications.

From single-country satellite systems, to regional communications services, to transoceanic systems, to multi-country and global mobile communications networks, Hughes spacecraft cover the world.

Scientific Research and Meteorological Systems

Meteorological and research satellite systems perform a wide variety of tasks and provide an objective view of planet Earth. Hughes built the first geosynchronous satellite capable of meteorological observations, ATS-1, launched in 1966. Today, aboard a polar orbiter, a new Hughes microwave instrument penetrates clouds to determine wind speeds, soil moisture, ice coverage and age, and, for the first time, the exact location on land where rain is falling. A similar Hughes-built microwave imager is one of several instruments being carried in the joint U.S.-Japanese Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, which began in 1997.

In 1998, Hughes won the competition to build the next-generation weather satellites for NASA/NOAA. The new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, designated "GOES," will provide more accurate location of severe storms and other weather phenomena, resulting in more precise warnings to the general public and industry. Hughes will have built a total of nine satellites in the GOES series.

When the astronauts set foot on the moon, Hughes-built Surveyor lunar landers were there to greet them. In the mid-1960s, the spacecraft were sent to the moon to scout potential landing sites, leading the way for manned missions. The Galileo spacecraft, with its sophisticated Hughes-built probe, was launched in 1989 to explore the atmosphere of Jupiter. The probe arrived at the planet in December 1995, returning a wealth of scientific data. Meanwhile, incredibly detailed images of Venus' surface have been obtained by a Hughes-built radar on board the Magellan spacecraft, which began orbiting Earth's twin planet in August 1990.

Soon, Hughes will again be supporting the astronauts and NASA research in space. Hughes is building the next generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) for NASA which will relay communications to and from the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.

National Security

The U.S. Department of Defense has been an important customer. Hughes is working under a $1.7 billion Navy contract to build and launch 10 UHF Follow-On satellites. These replace existing spacecraft and provide the Defense Department with worldwide communications capabilities. Previously, Hughes built the Leasat satellites that formed a global military communications network. Hughes now is a subcontractor on the Milstar program, providing elements for the satellites' electronic payloads, as well as a prime contractor to develop an engineering model of an advanced EHF payload for the Air Force. Hughes also builds the relay satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Research and Development

To maintain its leadership in supplying the best, most modern products, Hughes is continuing research and development in many technical areas. Advanced space power and power conditioning systems are being developed, as well as high-speed signal processors, to meet future requirements. Hughes has also developed a xenon ion propulsion system, which offers considerably more power, and lighter weight, as compared to chemical bipropellant systems.