The settlement struck during the summer between Hughes Electronics and Boeing, in which the companies resolved a price dispute concerning Boeing's 2000 acquisition of Hughes' satellite manufacturing operations, has put launch plans back on track for SpaceWAY, though on a slightly delayed basis.
In a filing sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Hughes said through the settlement its Hughes Network Systems unit agreed to extend the scheduled launch for the first Boeing-built SpaceWAY satellite from an original fourth quarter date. Boeing has advised Hughes that launch of the first SpaceWAY satellite will likely occur in the second quarter, the filing said.
SpaceWAY is Hughes' key Ka-Band endeavor. Executives with News Corp., which are working to take over Hughes and satellite TV gem DirecTV, said they are considering the use of SpaceWAY assets to deliver advanced video offerings, such as HDTV.
