International Launch Services (ILS) and Eutelsat, of Paris, France, one of the world’s leading satellite operators, announced a contract today for the launch of a Eutelsat satellite in the 2014-2016 timeframe by ILS Proton from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This announcement follows the successful Proton launch of the Eutelsat 3D satellite on May 15.
The Proton vehicle is Russia’s premier heavy-lift launcher, with a history of 386 launches since 1965. The Proton launch vehicle is built by Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center, the majority shareholder of ILS and one of the pillars of the space industry.
Phil Slack, president of ILS said, “With this launch, Eutelsat is relying on performance of the Proton vehicle just as we demonstrated with yesterday’s successful launch of the Eutelsat 3D satellite. We now have seven launches to date for Eutelsat over our 13 year partnership. ILS and Khrunichev are looking forward to delivering on our commitments for Eutelsat and continuing to support their plans for growth and expansion with the launch of this mission.”
“We selected Proton because we needed both flexibility and performance and we know ILS and Khrunichev can provide both with the powerful Proton vehicle. We look forward to working with ILS and Khrunichev once again on this future mission,” said Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat.
About ILS and Khrunichev
ILS is a world leader in providing launch services for global satellite operators and offers a complete array of services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. ILS has exclusive rights to market the Proton vehicle to commercial satellite operators worldwide and is a U.S. company headquartered in Reston, VA., near Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.
Khrunichev, which holds the majority interest in ILS, is one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry. Khrunichev manufactures the Proton system and is developing the Angara launch system. The Proton launches from facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and has a heritage of more than 385 missions since 1965. Khrunichev includes, among its branches, a number of key manufacturers of launch vehicle and spacecraft components in Moscow and in other cities of the Russian Federation. For more information, visit www.khrunichev.com.
Contact:
International Launch Services (ILS)
Karen Monaghan, Director of Communications, +1-571-633-7549
mobile: +1-571-282-5195
k.monaghan@ilslaunch.com
www.ilslaunch.com
