The first three second-generation wine racks of the Globalstar constellation is ready for shipment in late August from Thales Alenia Space facility to the launch site . Will be put into orbit by Arianespace in October by a Soyuz launcher with three other satellites in the consignment of the first release.

Recall that Globalstar contracted Thales Alenia Space to design and supply of 48 low earth orbit satellites (LEO ) constellation to provide second-generation mobile phone services and data services via satellite. These satellites are under construction in various Thales Alenia Space facilities in France , Italy and Spain.

The payload is built in Toulouse , subsystems and thermal structures in Cannes , part of the side panels in Turin, several sets of the payload electronics are developed and manufactured in L’ Aquila and Madrid where they are also manufactured various passive microwave equipment , the L -band antennas are produced in Rome and the onboard computer ( OBPE ) and part of the GPS receiver in Milan. Thales Alenia Space is also responsible for launch support services .

The new constellation will ensure the continuation of the Globalstar coverage to beyond the year 2025, and serve as a platform for increased services and innovative solutions. Each second-generation Globalstar satellite will weigh about 700 pounds and provide a power of 1.7 KW. at the end of its useful life. It is equipped with 16 C-band transponders from a S-band and L-band receivers from 16 to band C. From , the satellites will be launched together in batches of six satellites at the same time, with a lifespan of 15 years .