USN, Swedish Space Tighten Partnership

Communications Today, June 27, 2000

Universal Space Network of Horsham, Pa., and the Swedish Space Corp. have established an alliance, dubbed Priora, to expand their satellite-communication services. They announced Priora last week at two trade shows in France.

Together, they said they will be able to market the use of their earth stations in Alaska, Australia, Hawaii, Norway, and Sweden, as well as shared access to earth stations in Maryland, Chile, Italy, Kenya, Spain and South Africa.

State-owned SSC is a part owner of USN, which was established in 1996 by the late astronaut Pete Conrad to provide cost-effective communications and management services, particularly for scientific satellite missions.

"While we have had a relationship with Swedish Space Corp. for several years, Priora takes that relationship a major step further," said Tom Ingersoll, president and CEO of USN. "Through our alliance with SSC, we are able to combine our resources, giving our customers a wealth of new product and service options for their satellite communications needs at a competitive price."

Lars Bjerkesjo, manager of SSC's ground station services division, said both companies would continue to operate independently, and they also will pursue business as the Priora alliance through joint marketing proposals.

Warburg Pincus Ventures, a venture capital arm of the Warburg Pincus investment bank, also has invested in USN. Together, the two companies invested $15 million in USN last year.

More recently, USN won a contract to provide data communications services for the upcoming, three-year Coriolis mission, a joint U.S. Navy-U.S. Air Force satellite that will study ocean surface winds in order to improve the prediction of global weather patterns and improve weather forecasting.

USN officials said they expect the contract to be worth more than $4 million. USN has been working on preparations for the contract since last winter. Launch of the Coriolis satellite is planned for late 2001 or early 2002. Spectrum Astroof Gilbert, Ariz. is building the satellite.

David Williams