The 3450 kg satellite carries 30 Ku-band transponders to provide direct-to-home voice and video transmissions to much of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, after parking over 39.0° East longitude.

An Atlas V with a 4 meter diameter fairing, no boosters and a single centaur upper stage engine.

Lockheed Martin's Space Division started in the production of missiles and later ICBM's in the 1950s. Their TITAN missile system was used for 12 Gemini spacecraft and the Voyager probes. They have worked largely in collaboration with NASA on many of their probes, landers, and spacecraft, and hope to play a key role in NASA's return to the moon in 2024.