The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorised an $87.1 million guarantee of a loan extended by Crédit Agricole and other European lenders to a subsidiary of the Spanish satellite operator, Hispasat for the manufacture of the communications satellite Amazonas 4A. The satellite is to be constructed by the US spacecraft manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation and will carry 24 Ku-band transponders. The satellite is expected to be launched in 2014 and will be located over Brazil to provide direct-to-home high-definition television broadcasts to the Americas region.
Confidence in satellite communications remains strong, despite in roads by online broadband broadasting services. A loan of $45 million was made to the low Earth orbit constellation firm Orbcomm by AIG Asset Management to launch its next generation satellite constellation Orbcomm OG2. Rather than direct communications, the Orbcomm service is aimed more at communications in respect to cargo and ship tracking.. The Orbcomm OG2 constellation will be launched on two SpaceX Falcon 9 launches in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Earlier in January, after a faulty Falcon 9 launch of its first Orbcomm OG2-1 satellite, Orbcomm renegotiated its orignal US$46.6 million contract with SpaceX for Falcon 1E launches (the Falcon 1E programme was cancelled) to a $42.6 million deal for these two Falcan 9 launches which will carry up to 18 spacecraft in total.
