Ariane 44LP

When the Mexican government planned the implementation of a second-generation satellite system, it turned again to Hughes Space and Communications Company. The new pair of spacecraft is called Solidaridad, signifying the way satellite telecommunications are uniting the urban and remote parts of the country with one another and the rest of the world. These replace the two Hughes-built Morelos satellites, the first of which was retired in 1994 after nine years' service. The Solidaridad contract was signed in May 1991. The spacecraft are operated by the government agency Telecomunicaciones de Mexico (Telecomm).