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SAT-na V1.13 Part One

			Satellite News
                        from America
                              
                              
                     V1.13   December 15 1996

                           
                              
This news is co-sponsored by TELE-satellit and Satellite Journal Itl.

The information contained MAY NOT be republished or redistributed
without the prior written authority of Satellite Journal
International 

                              
World News
----------
     
ORBCOMM to Buy 10 Gateway Earth Stations

     ORBCOMM Global, L.P has signed an agreement with
Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. for the manufacture, integration,
test and installation of 10 Gateway Earth Stations. The
Gateway Earth Stations will be deployed around the world by
ORBCOMM's international service licensees.
     Each Gateway Earth Station is made up of two satellite
tracking antennas, pedestal and control units,
communications equipment, and protective radomes. The
Gateway Earth Stations, between one and four depending on
the geographical coverage required, will be connected by
commercial telecommunications links to a Gateway Control
Centre located in the applicable country or region.  The
first system is slated for installation in 1997.

NBC and National Geographic Television

     National Geographic Television and NBC have joined
forces to create and develop the National Geographic Channel
for the global marketplace. This new channel, which is
anticipated to launch in 1997, initially will target Latin
America, Europe and Asia.

     The National Geographic Channel will become NGT's first
branded distribution service.  It will feature new NGT
programming and take advantage of the breadth and depth of
the National Geographic Television library, as well as
access and utilise NBC's resources.  The 24-hour program
schedule will also showcase high-calibre documentaries from
other distinguished natural history, adventure, science,
exploration and cultural filmmakers.

Pasifik Satelit Nusantara


     Indonesia's first private satellite-based
telecommunications company, P.T. Pasifik Satelit Nusantara
(PSN) announced the signing of a contract worth
approximately US$350 million with Space Systems/Loral (SS/L)
for the procurement of a satellite for its Multi-Media Asia
(M2A) Satellite System.

            The M2A satellite will be a FS-1300 spacecraft
bus providing 10.4 kilowatts of power with 12 years mission
life.  Its antennas will provide multi-beam coverage of the
Asia Pacific region, including Indonesia, Australia, India,
China, Indochina, Korea, Japan and ASEAN.

    The satellite's dry mass, estimated at 1960 Kg, will be
launched to geostationary orbit by the Proton D-1-e.  The
satellite will have the equivalent capacity of 84
transponders with 200,000 simultaneous circuits capable of
providing 4 million fixed telephone lines and 100 television
channels.


    The total M2A system comprises of:
    -- one or more geostationary, high powered, multi-beam
communications satellites;
    -- a Satellite Control Facility on Batam Island in
Indonesia;
    -- a Network Control Centre for allocation of satellite
resources;
    -- several Communications Gateways for access to the
PSTN and other networks;
    -- a number of Broadcast Centres for provision of
Digital TV programming;
    -- small, cost effective User Terminals to be located at
the subscriber's premises.

    In addition to offering low cost rural telephony to the
rapidly expanding economies in Asia, the M2A system will
also provide data, facsimile, Internet access, and video
multi-media services to a potential subscriber base of
millions.

        The launch of M2A is planned for the first quarter
of 1999, with services operational by midyear.

     PanAmSat-Hughes merger

     The proposed merger between PanAmSat Corporation and
the Galaxy satellite service operation of Hughes
Communications, Inc., announced on September 20, 1996, has
moved closer to completion when the Antitrust Division of
the U.S. Department of Justice permitted a key 30-day review
period to pass without taking action to halt the merger or
imposing an additional review period.  Parties to the merger
had filed with the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission
under the Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act in
early November.  At that time, the DOJ claimed jurisdiction
over the antitrust review.
     Ordinarily, at the end of a standard 30-day review
period, reviewing agencies can seek to block a merger in
court; institute an additional waiting period during which
more information is gathered and reviewed; or do neither,
thus allowing a merger to proceed, as in this case.
     Passage of the review period means there are no further
antitrust approvals necessary for the completion of the
merger.  Separate review of the merger is currently underway
by the Federal Communications Commission.  At the time of
the September announcement, the parties estimated that it
would take 6 to 12 months to obtain the necessary government
approvals and complete the merger.  Based on the passage of
the antitrust review period, the companies continue to
believe that the approval process remains on track.

CLI Awarded Contracts for a Total of $5 Million

     Compression Labs, Inc. has received orders for
videoconferencing products totalling $5 million from the
Ministry of Railroads and Zhejiang Electric & Power in the
People's Republic of China.
     The Ministry of Railroads, the largest Ministry in
China, is building a backbone  videoconferencing network as
part of a loan from the World Bank to develop a
telecommunications infrastructure.  The initial order for
Phase 1 totalled $3.7 million for CLI's Radiance
videoconferencing systems and multipoint units and was
received under International Competitive Bidding of the
General Procurement Notice of the UN Development Forum
Business Edition.

     In addition, CLI received a contract valued at $1.3
million from Zhejiang Electric & Power for 25 eclipse gold
systems and three multipoint units.  Zhejiang is the first
Chinese customer in the energy sector to use CLI
videoconferencing.
 VTR Galaxy Chile to offer the DIRECTV service

     Consumers in Chile are one step closer to receiving the
DIRECTV service.  The office of the Subsecretary of
Telecommunications of the Transportation and
Telecommunications Ministry recently awarded VTR Galaxy
Chile, S.A., Galaxy Latin America's local operating company
in Chile, a license to receive and distribute the DIRECTV
signal in Ku-band.  VTR Galaxy Chile, S.A. is a subsidiary
of VTR and United International Holdings.
     The license will allow DIRECTV to be the first digital
direct-to-home entertainment service to be offered in Chile.
Consumers should expect the arrival of DIRECTV in the first
quarter of 1997.  The service will offer close to 100
channels from the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin
America.
VTR is the partnership of Luksic and Southwestern Bell
Corporation.
     
IndeNet  gets new contract

     IndeNet Inc. subsidiary Enterprise Systems Group
Australia was awarded a contract  by WBTV - The Warner
Channel, Australia, to install a traffic, billing and
revenue management system at Warner Bros.' Sydney operations
centre.
     The Australian installation is an addendum to
Enterprises' existing ten-year contract with Warner Bros. in
its global network expansion.  The contract is valued in
excess of $1 million (US).
     Ric Burns, managing director of WBTV - The Warner
Channel, Australia, said:  "Warner Bros. latest digital
programming feed with OPTUS Vision is an enormous
opportunity.  In order to maximise our efficiency, we are
pleased to continue relying on Enterprise's traffic, sales
and programme management systems.  We feel they are truly
committed to the success of our business."
     Phil Sansome, general manager, Enterprise Systems Group
Australia/S.E. Asia, said:  "Warner Bros. cable and
satellite network here in Australia has a current reach of
100,000 subscribers and potential future growth in the
infant pay-TV market of several million television
households."
     
Starsem to launch 12 Globalstar satellites


     Space Systems/Loral announced an agreement with Starsem
S.A. to launch 12 Globalstar satellites aboard three Soyuz-
Icare Launch Vehicles in late 1998.
     The agreement, which was signed on December 3, includes
three firm launches on the Soyuz-Icare launcher from the
Baikonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan and eight optional
launches.  The vehicle is a member of the Soyuz family of
launch vehicles, one of the most reliable launchers in the
world, having been launched successfully more than 1500
times including manned flights.  The Soyuz-Icare type
launcher uses the Icare stage that has been specifically
designed for placing satellite constellations into orbit.

     Robert E.  Berry, president of Space Systems/Loral,
said, "Our agreement with Starsem ensures that the last
twelve satellites for the Globalstar constellation will be
placed into orbit from the same launch base as our Zenit
launches.  Additionally, using the well-known Soyuz vehicle
that the Starsem company now offers reinforces Space
Systems/Loral's commitment to leveraging capabilities from
space technology leaders across Europe."
     Prior to the Soyuz launches in 1998, the first eight
Globalstar satellites are scheduled on two launches during
the second half of 1997 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard
the two- stage Delta II Launch Vehicle provided by McDonnell
Douglas and an additional 36 Globalstar satellites will be
launched by 1998 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan
on three Zenit-2 Launch Vehicles offered by NPO Yuzhnoye.
Globalstar will begin commercial service in 1998.  The total
number of satellites to be launched is 56 satellites, which
includes eight in-orbit spares.
     
INTELSAT Board Approves Purchase of K-TV

     The 114th meeting of the INTELSAT Board of Governors
approved the procurement of a K-TV spacecraft for the 95øE
longitude orbital location from Matra Marconi Space.  The K-
TV satellite is a spacecraft dedicated to the Asia-Pacific
and features switched beams to provide unrivalled service
flexibility.
     The high power K-TV spacecraft will improve INTELSAT's
ability to meet the burgeoning demand for video services in
the Asia-Pacific region.  "This spacecraft will have 30 Ku-
band transponders and will be delivered by year-end 1998,"
said Irving Goldstein, INTELSAT Director General and Chief
Executive Officer.  "Indeed, this satellite is a powerful
addition to our global fleet," he continued, "allowing
INTELSAT to enhance its provision of the newest video
services, such as Direct-to-Home and VSAT video services, to
expanded areas including China, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Korea, Malaysia, and throughout the Asia-Pacific."
     INTELSAT Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Gary
Smith, predicted strong demand for K-TV capacity, saying
"we're already taking reservations for this capacity; we're
buying the satellite now to ensure we have the capacity our
regional customers need, when they need it, and where they
need it."  "Procurement of the K-TV satellite," he
continued, "will help us meet the growing demand for video
capacity throughout the INTELSAT system."
     Also at the meeting, the INTELSAT Board of Governors
authorised INTELSAT Management to conduct final negotiations
for the procurement of two follow-on Spacecraft (FOS-II) for
operation in the Indian Ocean Region.  The Board expects to
ratify a successfully finalised contract with satellite
manufacturer SS/Loral at its March 1997 meeting.
     The FOS-II spacecraft will replace two INTELSAT VI
satellites, with the first FOS-II spacecraft scheduled for
delivery in July 2000.  Each FOS-II satellite will have 44 C-
band and 10 Ku-band transponders.  The in-orbit lifetime of
each of the FOS-II spacecraft is estimated at approximately
15 years.  SS/Loral will be the prime contractor, with
significant participation by companies from Canada, France,
Germany, Italy and Japan.


Grupo Televisa and Lockheed Martin

     Grupo Televisa, S.A. and Lockheed Martin
Telecommunications signed an agreement in principle to
create a venture to develop, distribute, and market consumer
entertainment, information and other content products and
services with advanced technology.
     Russell McFall, President of  Telecommunication, part
of the Lockheed Martin Corporation said, "Both companies'
goal with this alliance is to be at the forefront of the
next generation of entertainment and information.  This is
an ideal combination of complimentary skills:  Televisa's
artists and Lockheed Martin's engineers."
     Guillermo Caqedo White, Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer of Grupo Televisa added,
"Entertainment delivered `Direct to Home' via broadband
telecommunication networks will rapidly evolve towards
content tailor-made to the preference of each member of the
household.  In that sense, the stage that follows DTH is
what we have called DTP:  Direct to People, which we are
committed to launch and lead."
     
Orion Expand Into Asia

     Orion Network Systems announced a major expansion of
its international satellite communications services into the
Asia Pacific region.  It announced an $89 million agreement
with DACOM, a major Korean telecommunications common
carrier, for satellite communications capacity to serve the
Korean peninsula, and the selection of Hughes Space and
Communications International, Inc. to construct and launch
Orion's first Asia Pacific regional satellite.
     The new satellite, to be located over the Pacific
Ocean, is the second in a series of three Orion satellites
capable of providing global communications services to over
75% of the world's population, with emphasis on areas where
communications infrastructure is relatively underdeveloped.
Orion's first satellite, located over the Atlantic Ocean,
has been operational since January 1995, and serves Europe,
the United States to the Rocky Mountains and portions of
Canada and Mexico.  A third satellite, expected to be
announced soon, will also be located over the Atlantic
Ocean, and will expand Orion's services into South America,
Russia and the Middle East.
     Construction of the large capacity satellite will begin
immediately, and the satellite is expected to be operational
by the fourth quarter of 1998.  It will provide Orion with
an instant infrastructure capable of offering communications
services to users in all major Asia Pacific markets,
including Korea, China, India, Japan and Australia, as well
as other Asian markets and Hawaii.
     The Asia Pacific satellite will be a high-power, high
capacity, hybrid satellite using today's two primary
transmission frequencies_C-band and Ku-band.  Ten C-band
transponders will provide broad distribution services,
particularly to television and other program distributors.
There will be thirty-three Ku-band transponders including
eight  to be used by DACOM.  These Ku-band transponders will
be used primarily for private business network applications
and direct-to-home (DTH) video services.

  Technical information on the Orion Asia Pacific
  satellite:
     The satellite will have three Ku-band high-power beams
of greater than 50 dBW.  It will also have high-powered C-
band broad beams that provide a minimum of 34 dBW with an
enhanced region of greater than 38 dBW.  Ku-band frequencies
will operate from 14 to 14.5 GHz uplink and 12.25 to 12.75
GHz downlink.  C-band frequencies will operate from 6.425 to
6.725 GHz uplink and 3.4 to 3.7 GHz downlink.
     
PanAmSat's PAS-3 and The Weather Channel
     
     PanAmSat Corporation announced today that The Weather
Channel is using PanAmSat's PAS-3 Atlantic Ocean Region
satellite to break into the Latin America television
broadcasting market for the first time.  The Weather
Channel, Latin America, is transmitted in both Spanish and
Portuguese using digital technology_another first for the
channel, which currently is offered in the United States in
analogue.
     The Weather Channel will transmit directly to PAS-3
from its new facility in Atlanta, Georgia.  The facility is
equipped with a new digital system and will utilise a next
generation graphic system, called Weather Star XLs, that has
the ability to do 3-D graphics and full animation and can co-
ordinate music and audio files with the video clips.

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