Aerospace |
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Hughes Signs
Up With Long March; Sues Lockheed Martin
Just three days later the company filed a $550 million lawsuit against Lockheed Martin claiming the company had breached a contract to provide low-cost launches through its Lockheed-Krunichev-Energia joint venture. Hughes said it had contracted for one-per year launches from 1997 through 2001, but was told by Lockheed that the price for optional launches would be higher than agreed.
The LKE venture announced a $1 billion order of 101 rocket engines from Krunichev during the Paris Air Show, citing a red-hot market for commercial launch services. The first launch Long March could be as early as late 1998, with the others following about once a year. Hughes has an undisclosed number of options for additional vehicles. "This contract reaffirms our faith in the Long March family and
our intention to use Long March to launch future Hughes satellites,"
said Steven D. Dorfman, Hughes Electronics executive vice president. Dorfman
also oversees the company's satellite manufacturing business and development
The contract includes one Long March 3 rocket, which can accommodate Hughes' popular HS 376 small satellite model, and four of the more powerful Long March 3B versions. The Long March 3B can lift the larger and equally popular HS 601 and new HS 702 models. The launch contract is held by Hughes Space and Communications International
Inc. The launches are available to all units of Hughes Electronics and customers
of Hughes Space and Communications Co., the world's leading commercial communications
satellite builder. All the Hughes space companies are units of Hughes Electronics
Corp. of Los Angeles. |
Hughes Electronics
Corp. last week announced that it had agreed to buy at least five launches
on Long March rockets from China Great Wall Industry Corp. Financial terms
were not disclosed.
of new applications
as chairman of Hughes Telecommunications and Space Co. "We are committed
to doing business with Chinese industry and providing satellite communications
for China," Dorfman said.