| Space Communication Ltd. | |
| Type: | Public |
| Industry: | Communications |
| Revenue: | NIS 513.226 million (2017) [1] |
| Operating Income: | NIS 46.7 million (2017) |
| Net Income: | NIS 94.2 million (2017) |
| Equity: | NIS 826.9 million (2017) |
| Parent: | Eurocom Group |
| Homepage: | https://www.amos-spacecom.com/ |
Spacecom, or Space Communication, is an Israeli communications satellite operator in the Middle East, European Union and North America headquartered in the city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Spacecom operates two satellites at orbital position 4° West – AMOS-3 and AMOS-7, one satellite at orbital position 65° East – AMOS-4, and one satellite at orbital position 17° East – AMOS-5.
Spacecom was established in 1993 with the defined goal of marketing AMOS-1, a newly built communication satellite manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). In 2003, Spacecom launched its second satellite, AMOS-2, owned entirely by the company. In 2008, the AMOS-3 satellite was launched to replace AMOS-1 and increase coverage and traffic abilities.[2]
Until 2005, Spacecom was a private company controlled by four companies, including IAI and Eurocom Group. It went public on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 2005.[3] [4] [5]
In August 2016, Spacecom shareholders agreed to sell the company for US$500 million to Beijing Xinwei Technology Group (China) via a Luxembourg business entity.[6] The deal, announced 24 August 2016, was pending the successful entry into service of AMOS-6 after the launch.[7] On 1 September 2016, two days before the scheduled launch date, the satellite was destroyed during the run-up to a static fire test of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Later statements from both companies stated that negotiations were ongoing, but that the purchase price was likely to be reduced.[8] [9] However, by April 2017 talks between Spacecom and Xinwei had failed, and Spacecom began a new search for buyers.[10] In October 2021 Spacecom and 4iG Plc., a Hungarian information technology and telecommunications company, signed an agreement in which 4iG is acquiring a majority stake (51%) in Spacecom.[11]
Spacecom satellites provide coverage to most of the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
See main article: AMOS (satellite).
Former
In orbit
| Name | Bus | Payload | Order | Launch | Launch Vehicle | Launch Result | Launch Weight | Status | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 May 1996 | Launched along Palapa-C2. Sold in 2009 to Intelsat as Intelsat 24. | |||||||||
| 17 December 2003 | Reached end of life on 2 April 2017.[16] | |||||||||
| September 2005 | 28 April 2008 | Straight GEO launch. | ||||||||
| 2011-12-11 | Launched along Luch 5A. Failed on 21 November 2015. | |||||||||
| 31 August 2013 | ||||||||||
| 2012 | 3 September 2016 | Electric propulsion for station keeping. | ||||||||
| AMOS-7 | SSL-1300 | 24 Ku-band, 1 Ka-band | 5 August 2014 | Falcon 9 | Four-year lease of AsiaSat 8.[17] | |||||
| AMOS-17 | BSS-702MP | Ka-band, Ku-band, C-band | 2016 | 6 August 2019 | Falcon 9 | Deployed with a free launch due to the loss of AMOS-6.[18] | ||||
| AMOS-8 | AMOS 4000 | 39 Ku-band, 24 Ka-band, 2 S-band | 2018 | Falcon 9 | Cancelled | Spacecom selected SSL to build satellite, based on SSL-1300 bus. AMOS-6 replacement. This order was eventually cancelled. |