ORBIT Communication Ltd., a subsidiary of Orbit Technologies Ltd., a satellite communications, tracking and telemetry, and communications management systems provider, announced that it has been selected by STEC.COM LLC, a Russian space company, to supply a commercial ground station solution to support dual communication with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites. The total value of the contract is estimated at $800,000.

ORBIT's solution is based on a customization of its AL-4300 series, a heavy load, high-performance positioning system. To overcome the limited size of the ground station, which cannot accommodate separate X-Band and C-Band antennas, ORBIT tailored an innovative solution that incorporates both bands in a single 5.5 meter antenna, cutting the ground station's size in half and dramatically reducing its cost. A special "store and transmit" mechanism was developed to gather the data received from the LEO satellite over X-Band, and subsequently transmit that data over C-Band to the GEO satellite on its way to the final destination. In addition, to meet Russia's extreme environmental conditions, the customer required a rugged and reliable solution that can operate without failures in strong winds and very low temperatures without a radome.

ORBIT offers a comprehensive and field-proven suite of earth observation ground stations that enable accurate and continuous communication with LEO satellites in earth observation missions.

"In the past year, ORBIT has invested substantial efforts to bolster its presence as an earth observation solution provider, particularly in Europe," said Avi Cohen, President and CEO of ORBIT Communications Ltd. "Accordingly, we are extremely pleased to announce our first earth observation deal in Russia, which marks an important milestone in this strategic effort. We are confident that this project will lead to additional opportunities in the burgeoning Russian market, as well as other regions in Europe."