The FCC granted a Ford Aerospace unit a license.

Ford Aerospace Satellite Services said it was awarded two orbital locations for a domestic satellite system by the Federal Communications Commission. The planned Ford Aerospace satellites are designed to meet the needs of both established and emerging telecommunications and video-services users. The company said each satellite, with 48 transponders and 4,500 watts of power, will have twice the number of communication channels and more than twice the power of any domestic U.S. communications satellite now in service or authorized.