According to a spokesman for the state-funded Korea Telecom, four consortia have put in bids to launch South Korea’s first communications satellite – though several of the companies involved are hedging their bets and have signed with more than one bidder. McDonnell Douglas Corp, General Dynamics Corp, Ariane Space SA and the Commonwealth of Independent States’ Glavk Kosmos lead the bids for the estimated $100m contract. Daewoo Heavy Industries has signed with both the General Dynamics group and the Ariane consortium – with another division of the group involved in the McDonnell Douglas bid; Samsung Aerospace has signed with everyone bar Glavk Kosmos. Besides these, the McDonnell Douglas group includes Korean Air Line Co Ltd, Hall Engineering and Heavy Industries Ltd, while General Dynamics has picked six domestic Korean companies including Goldstar Precision Co, a unit of Lucky-Goldstar Group. Ariane’s proposed partners are four domestic companies, while Glavk Kosmos has chosen three including Hyundai Group’s Hyundai Precision Industries Ltd and Hyundai Corp. A shortlist of two will be selected by April 20, the winner announced in early May. To go up in 1995, the satellite will carry 5,300 telephone circuits and three television channels. Korea Telecom awarded a $140m contract to build the satellite bus to a group led by General Electric Co’s Astro in December. One stipulation is that the foreign winner must transfer launch technology to local partners.
