ICO North America Inc. completed the thermal vacuum test milestone for its 2 gigahertz (GHz) mobile satellite service (MSS) communications satellite, ICO announced June 22.

The test, which is designed to verify performance of the satellite under the various hot and cold temperature conditions in orbit, was a requirement under ICO’s license from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

In February, the FCC granted ICO milestone extensions for the construction and launch of its ICO G1 satellite after manufacturer Space Systems/Loral found technical problems with three of the satellite’s subsystems.

The spacecraft will soon undergo vibration testing final performance verification in preparation for a scheduled launch before the end of the year.