Arianespace announced today that it will launch the Intelsat 36 spacecraft for its longstanding customer Intelsat (NYSE: I).
Weighing 3.4 metric tons at launch, Intelsat 36 will be injected into geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 ECA, the world’s most reliable heavy lift vehicle, during the third quarter of 2016. The launch will take place at the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Intelsat 36 will be built by Space Systems/Loral (SSL) of Palo Alto, Calif. Based on SSL’s 1300 platform, the payload will enable media and content distribution services in Africa and South Asia.
“As part of our long term partnership, we are very honored to be entrusted yet again by Intelsat with launching this new satellite. Our longstanding relationship goes back three decades, to practically the inception of our company. IS-36 will be the 55th satellite that we will have launched for Intelsat,” said Stephane Israel, Chairman & CEO of Arianespace.
About Arianespace
Arianespace is the world’s leading satellite launch company. Founded in 1980, Arianespace deploys a complete family of three launchers, Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, to meet the needs of both commercial and government customers, with more than 250 launches already. Backed by its 21 shareholders and the European Space Agency, Arianespace is the only company in the world capable of launching all types of payloads into all orbits, from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana.
As of September 8, 2014, Arianespace had carried out 218 Ariane launches, 35 by Soyuz (9 at the Guiana Space Center and 26 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, via Starsem) and 3 by Vega. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near Paris, and has a facility in Kourou, French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington D.C. (United States), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore.
About Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) is the world’s leading provider of satellite services, delivering high performance connectivity solutions for media, fixed and mobile broadband infrastructure, enterprise and government and military applications for 50 years. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video and broadband services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and mobile broadband access, with Intelsat, envision your future network, connect using our leading satellite technology and transform your opportunities. Envision…Connect…Transform…with Intelsat, celebrating 50 years of space leadership in 2014. For more information, visit www.intelsat.com.
