Colorado-based satellite firm EchoStar has selected its Colorado neighbor, Maxar Space Systems, as prime contractor on its newest satellite.

Maxar will use its Maxar 1300 platform for its new flagship EchoStar XXVI geostationary satellite, providing direct-to-home coverage to DISH TV customers in the United States and Puerto Rico.

“EchoStar’s selection of the Maxar 1300™ platform underscores our commitment to delivering high-performance satellites that meet our customers’ most demanding requirements,” Maxar Space Systems CEO Chris Johnson said in a statement.

The 6,800kg Echostar XXVI will be engineered for dual orbital slot performance for more flexible operations across around ten owned and pleased payloads.

The collaboration is the latest in a decades-long cooperative history between the Colorado native companies.

EchoStar and Maxar did not immediately respond to calls for comment.

EchoStar doubles down

The move is a significant bet by Echostar, which has sought bankruptcy protection amid a regulatory probe into its spectrum licenses by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has begun reviewing EchoStar’s terrestrial buildout obligations in the AWS-4 band and use of adjacent 2GHz spectrum.

“This uncertainty over our spectrum rights has effectively frozen our ability to make decisions regarding our Boost business,” EchoStar said in a regulatory filing, “including continued network buildout and adversely impacts our ability to implement and adjust our overall business plan and requires us to re-evaluate the deployment of our resources.”

Adam Rhodes, a senior telecom analyst at credit consultancy and analyst Octus, predicted that EchoStar’s pay-TV operations will combine with its rival DirecTV at some point due to long-term subscriber losses and broader declines in the satellite TV market.

A busy week for Maxar

In other news this week, Maxar agreed to a strategic partnership with Saab on the delivery of C5ISR systems and multi-domain battlespace solutions, advancing European space-based capability.

“Our collaboration with Maxar represents a significant leap forward in our commitment to use information from the Space domain and thereby enhancing the strategic defense capabilities of Europe and beyond,” Görgen Johansson, head of Saab business area dynamics, said in a statement.

The teaming agreement granted Saab access to Maxar geospatial intelligence and mission products like autonomous drone navigation and operation software Raptor, which Saab tested and demonstrated in multiple countries.

Additionally, last week, Maxar Intelligence, the geospatial data arm of the company, appointed Todd Surdey as senior vice president and general manager of the division’s enterprise business segment serving consumer mapping, energy, automotive, and telecommunications industries with AI-powered solutions.

“Maxar Intelligence is on an exciting journey to transform what’s possible in the geospatial industry, particularly when it comes to delivering more innovative software solutions that build on the company’s industry-leading data,” Surdey said in a statement.