Lockheed Martin has completed the integration of the Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1, the first satellite built on its modernised A2100 platform at its facility near Denver, US.

With the completion of this stage, the satellite will be able to move into its final assembly and testing phase, ahead of its launch scheduled in the second quarter of next year.

The satellite will be owned by Arabsat and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, and will offer advanced telecommunications capabilities such as television, internet, telephone and secure mode communications, to customers in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

During the latest integration, the satellite’s hybrid propulsion incorporated the payload module and transponder panels.

"This is the first time we've performed the integration activity of our modernised A2100 satellite in a clean room."

The propulsion subsystem features a combination of electrical Hall current thrusters and liquid apogee engines.

Capable of functioning as the structural backbone of the satellite, the system is necessary for manoeuvring the satellite into its final orbit, as well as keeping it on station during its mission.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems executive vice-president Rick Ambrose said: “We've modelled this activity in our virtual reality lab hundreds of times, but this is the first time we've performed the integration activity of our modernised A2100 satellite in a clean room.

“Mating the scalable modules together in a precise method was a critical step for the programme, and the team did an exceptional job.”

Lockheed Martin has developed its modernised A2100 platform on a flight-proven bus, which has already built more than 40 satellites currently in orbit.

As part of the modernisation, the platform's power, propulsion and electronics were improved, and several other modifications were performed.

Lockheed Martin has so far secured five deals to develop satellites on the modernised A2100 platform.

Image: Lockheed Martin’s first modernised A2100 satellite in a clean room near Denver, US. Photo: courtesy of Lockheed Martin.