Mott MacDonald extended its engineering activities beyond the surface of the Earth this week, after it helped Malaysian satellite company Mearsat to launch and test a communication satellite.Â
The company carried out due diligence for the project’s lenders to ensure that the technical performance of the system and operations fully supported the business case. It also assessed the cost, schedule and performance of the project to determine any potential technical, commercial or financial risks. Â
The project reached financial close in May this year, and after a launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, the Measat-3b successfully completed its in-orbit testing. Â
Measat-3b will provide extra capacity for international broadcasting, telecoms services and television platforms in Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Australia.Â
Andrew Doyle, Mott MacDonald’s director of technology and communications, said: "Mott MacDonald has acted as technical adviser on more satellite projects using project finance than any other company. Our work in this sector dates back to 2003 with a combined financing well in excess of $4.5bn.
"We expect to provide operations monitoring to the lenders in the post-construction phase," Doyle added.
Mott MacDonald has recently won a contract to provide infrastructure design and construction services for the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.
