Showing posts with label U.S.-SPAIN RELATIONS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S.-SPAIN RELATIONS. Show all posts

Saturday, January 19, 2013

U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK GUARANTEES $87.1 MILLION FOR EXPORT OF SATELLITES TO SPAIN

Credit:  NASA.
FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK

Ex-Im Approves $87.1 Million Guarantee to Finance Export
of American-made Satellite to Spain


Washington, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized an $87.1 million guarantee of a loan extended by Crédit Agricole and other European lenders to Hispasat Canarias S.L.U., a Hispasat S.A. (Hispasat) subsidiary based in Madrid, Spain, that will finance the assembly and purchase of a satellite to be manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) of Dulles, Va.

The guarantee, which is Ex-Im Bank’s third transaction with Hispasat, will support approximately 600 U.S. jobs, according to bank estimates derived from Departments of Commerce and Labor data and methodology.


"This transaction is yet another example of our commitment to support high-tech jobs throughout America," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. "The ‘Made in America’ brand is second to none, and it is our job to ensure it always has an equal footing with competitors in the international market."

Established in 1989, Hispasat is the fourth largest western European satellite operator and the eighth largest operator in the world. It currently manages a constellation of seven active satellites and plans to expand its fleet.

The Amazonas-4A satellite, a Ku-band satellite equipped with 24 transponders, is expected to launch in 2014 and will occupy the company’s orbital slot over Brazil. It will provide coverage to the Americas and respond to the increasing demand of direct-to-home and high-definition television broadcasts.

Orbital Sciences Corporation was founded in 1982 and specializes in designing, building, testing and operating small- and medium-size satellites, rockets and other space systems. The company provides its space systems products to commercial customers, such as Hispasat, as well as to U.S. government agencies, including NASA, the Department of Defense, and intelligence agencies. Orbital employs almost 4,000 people, primarily in Virginia and Arizona, with other smaller locations around the country.

"Ex-Im Bank has played a critical role in the financing of several high-value commercial satellites built by Orbital," said Garrett Pierce, vice chairman and chief financial officer of Orbital. "Ex-Im Bank's participation has enabled us to compete on a level playing field around the world and win new export-related business. In addition, our success in capturing new orders of state-of-the-art spacecraft provides hundreds of high-tech and high-wage jobs for Orbital's workforce and throughout our extensive network of U.S.-based suppliers."

Ex-Im Bank authorized a record-breaking $1.4 billion to finance exports of American-made telecommunications satellites in FY 2012. In the first quarter of FY 2013, Ex-Im Bank has already authorized $516.9 million.

ABOUT EX-IM BANK:


Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that creates and maintains U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. In the past five years (from Fiscal Year 2008), Ex-Im Bank has earned for U.S. taxpayers nearly $1.6 billion above the cost of operations. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services.

Ex-Im Bank approved $35.8 billion in total authorizations in FY 2012 – an all-time Ex-Im record. This total includes more than $6.1 billion directly supporting small-business export sales – also an Ex-Im record. Ex-Im Bank's total authorizations are supporting an estimated $50 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 255,000 American jobs in communities across the country.

Friday, October 12, 2012

SPAIN'S NATIONAL DAY

Map:  Spain.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

On the Occasion of Spain's National Day

Press Statement

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 10, 2012



On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Spain as you celebrate La Fiesta Nacional de España this October 12.

With the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon’s landing in Florida approaching, we are reminded of Spain’s important contributions that have made a profound role in shaping this nation’s history. Today the United States and Spain are working closely together to tackle the challenges of an increasingly globalized world. We share a common desire to strengthen peace and security worldwide, protect the environment, and promote economic prosperity. The United States deeply values the strong alliance between our two nations as well as Spain’s important contributions to international organizations such as NATO, the United Nations, and the OECD.

On this Fiesta Nacional de España, we join with Spain in the spirit of friendship and look forward to deepening our cooperation in the years to come.



North facade of the Royal Palace in Madrid
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. The government's major focus for the immediate future will be on measures to reverse the severe economic recession that started in mid-2008

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