Tue, Sep 08, 2009
Communications Satellite Will Launch From Kazakhstan On A
Proton Rocket
International Launch Services (ILS)
and Eutelsat, a provider of satellite telecommunications, announced
a contract Monday for the launch of the W7 satellite on an ILS
Proton. The W7 satellite was built by Thales Alenia Space and is
currently in preparation for delivery to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan. ILS and Khrunichev are implementing a mission
integration schedule to support a mid-November 2009 launch.
The W7 satellite was built on the Spacebus 4000 C4 platform with
a launch mass of approximately 12,000 pounds and has a 15
year life expectancy. Situated at 36 degrees East, the spacecraft
will replace Eutelsat’s SESAT 1 satellite, launched on ILS
Proton in early 2000. It will also double the capacity available
within a key neighborhood among the fleet of geostationary
satellites and provide enhanced coverage for Central Asia and
Africa.
The Proton vehicle is Russia’s premier heavy-lift launcher
and is built by Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center,
the majority owner of ILS. Earlier this year, ILS celebrated its
50th ILS Proton launch milestone with the launch of
Eutelsat’s W2A satellite. The award of W7 is the ninth new
award for ILS this year.
Proton Launch File Photo
Frank McKenna, president of ILS said, “ILS is uniquely
suited to meet demanding customer requirements and we are committed
to providing real business value to our customers. Meeting
Eutelsat’s critical schedule requirements with our leading
edge integration and robust production capability allowed us to
schedule the W-7 launch within a timeframe that is simply unmatched
in the industry.”
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