OTTAWA, June 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telesat, a leading global fixed satellite services operator, announced today the start of commercial service on its new Nimiq 6 satellite. The entire capacity of Nimiq 6 is contracted for 15 years to Bell TV, Canada's largest provider of satellite direct-to-home (DTH) television services.
"Telesat has achieved an important objective with the entry into service of Nimiq 6," said Dan Goldberg, Telesat's President and CEO. "Nimiq 6 will complement Bell TV's existing DTH satellite fleet, adding power and capacity to better serve its customers across Canada. Nimiq 6 is also expected to make a meaningful contribution to Telesat's financial results in 2012 and for years to come. I am particularly pleased that we were able to start commercial service on this powerful, new satellite just four weeks after its launch, an impressive technical and operational achievement."
Nimiq 6 was manufactured by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) and is based on SS/L's highly reliable 1300 platform. The satellite was launched May 18, 2012 from the Baikonur Space Center in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It has an expected 15 year mission life, a launch mass of 4500 kg, and will operate from the 91.1 degrees West orbital location. Orbit raising and in-orbit testing and delivery to the 91.1 West location were completed in less than four weeks due to the use of Telesat's innovative in-orbit testing system, and close cooperation between SS/L and Telesat.
About Telesat (www.telesat.com)
Telesat is a leading global fixed satellite services operator providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices and facilities around the world, the company's state-of-the-art fleet consists of 13 satellites and the Canadian Ka-band payload on ViaSat-1, plus one satellite under construction. Telesat also manages the operations of additional satellites for third parties. Privately held, Telesat's principal shareholders are Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space & Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:LORL).
Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor
This news release contains statements that are not based on historical fact and are ''forward-looking statements'' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words "expect", "will", or other variations of these words or other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements as a result of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Detailed information about some of the known risks and uncertainties is included in the "Risk Factors" section of Telesat Canada's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 22, 2012, as well as Telesat's quarterly reports on Form 6-K and other filings with the SEC. These filings can be obtained on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Known risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: risks associated with operating satellites and providing satellite services, including satellite construction or launch delays, launch failures, in-orbit failures or impaired satellite performance, volatility in exchange rates and risks associated with domestic and foreign government regulation. The foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. The information contained in this news release reflects Telesat's beliefs, assumptions, intentions, plans and expectations as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, Telesat disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise the information herein.