[4/25/07] Thales Alenia Space received a contract from Telenor Satellite Broadcasting AS to manufacture the Thor 6 satellite, the companies April 24.

Thor 6 will be based on the Spacebus 4000B2 platform and carry 36 Ku-band transponders — 16 will provide direct-to-home services to Nordic countries, while the remaining 20 will be positioned to serve Central and Eastern Europe. Thor 6 is expected to begin operations in summer 2009 and will replace Thor 3, which is set to be retired in 2010.

Telenor is spending 1.3 billion Norwegian krone ($217.9 million) on the spacecraft, launch services and insurance, Telenor said.