The first Boeing electric-powered satellite, the 702 Small Platform (702SP), has passed its Critical Design Review, allowing the new program to move two satellites into assembly, integration and testing.

Boeing introduced the 3- to 8-kilowatt 702SP to its 702 product line in March 2012 as a simpler design that can be built more quickly while costing and weighing less than traditional satellites. Its all-electric propulsion minimizes the spacecraft’s mass and maximizes available payload.

The company is on schedule to conduct a dual launch of the first two 702SP satellites in the first quarter of 2015 on a Falcon 9 rocket.

“Passing Critical Design Review validates that the innovative 702SP will meet requirements and perform as expected for our launch customers and beyond,” said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems and CEO of Boeing Satellite Systems International.

Commercial satellite service providers Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS), Bermuda, and Satélites Mexicanos S.A. de C.V. (Satmex), Mexico City, have jointly placed an order for four satellites, with options for four more.

Boeing press release