The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] A2100 telecommunications satellite series received an award for reliability for the second consecutive year from research group Frost & Sullivan, which said the satellite series merited a “2004 Satellite Reliability Award” for excellence.

The company was cited for the production of flexible and reliable communications satellites used in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). The Frost & Sullivan rationale is that the LMCSS A2100 had the lowest rate of anomalies of satellites in service for the second consecutive year. Among the major commercial satellite buses currently available and in extensive use, Frost & Sullivan concluded the A2100 is “the most reliable satellite now available for a majority of satellite services.”

Frost & Sullivan assessed the number of serious anomalies for each common GEO communications satellite bus to determine the award winner. Each bus then was compared based on the number of satellites for which insurance claims were filed, divided by the total number of spacecraft of its type in service.

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