Telenor ASA and Orbital Sciences Corp. announced Sept. 20 that they signed a satellite manufacturing contract for a satellite that will replace Telenor’s Thor 2 spacecraft. It is the third satellite manufacturing contract awarded to Orbital this year.

The terms of the contract call for Orbital to build a satellite, to be named Thor 2-R, based on its Star platform. The satellite will provide Ku-band fixed telecommunications and direct-to-home television broadcasting services. It will carry 24 transponders and will improve Telenor’s service coverage in the Nordic countries, Europe and the Middle East. The contract calls for a 26-month in-orbit delivery schedule. Telenor has directed Orbital to negotiate with International Launch Services for a launch on board a Proton rocket.

“New TV channels, the introduction of high-definition television and the expansion of broadband services to Telenor’s markets increases the need for several more transponders to accommodate growth in these emerging applications,” Cato Halsaa, managing director of Telenor Satellite Services, said in a statement.

Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.