Solaris Mobile is to file a claim for the full insured value of its S-band payload after an investigation found “significant non-compliance from its original specifications”.
In a statement Solaris, and shareholders Eutelsat Communications and SES Astra, said the technical findings indicated the joint venture should be able to offer some, but not all, of its planned services. “This under-pins the company’s confidence that it will be able to meet the commitments made to the European Union according to the European Selection and Authorisation Process (ESAP),” the company said.
Both Solaris and Inmarsat were named as operators of Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) systems under the co-ordinated European S-Band Application Process.
The S-band payload is hosted on the Eutelsat W2A satellite launched on April 3, 2009. However, whilst television services at Ku-band have been without fault, concerns during testing led to additional analysis with the satellite’s prime contractor, Thales Alenia.