PSN buys M2A satellite

JAKARTA (JP): PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), listed on the United States' Nasdaq capital market, has signed a US$350 million contract with Space System/Loral of the U.S. to buy a satellite.

PSN announced yesterday the satellite, Multi-Media Asia (M2A), would be the first satellite-based system to provide major telecommunications services as an adjunct to the public switched telephone network.

The M2A satellite design made optimum use of the successful flight-proven FS-1300 spacecraft bus from Loral providing 10.4 kilowatts of power with a 12-year mission life, PSN stated.

The satellite is expected to provide telephone, data and figure communications, television and other telecommunication services

It is scheduled to be launched by the first quarter of 1999, and be operational by the middle of that year. (icn)