PARIS — The launch of the Amos 5 telecommunications satellite under construction for fleet operator Spacecom of Israel will be delayed for an undetermined period following a component issue that will require a fresh series of tests by the Russian manufacturer, Spacecom said.
The company informed the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange of the issue July 4. A Spacecom official on July 5 said the tests were ongoing and that it is not yet clear how long the delay will be.
Amos 5 is under construction by ISS Reshetnev of Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
The contract represents a rare export win for Reshetnev as solo manufacturer. Other satellites it has sold for export and for Russia’s domestic satellite operators have been with the electronics payloads provided by non-Russian satellite builders.
A Reshetnev official said July 6 the Amos 5 program manager was unavailable for comment.
Spacecom has begun signing up customers for Amos 5, and in June announced a $12.5 million transponder-lease agreement with an African Internet services provider.
Amos 5 had been scheduled for launch this fall aboard a Russian Proton rocket also carrying a Russian government Loutch data-relay satellite. Amos 5 is scheduled to operate at 17 degrees east, an orbital slot to which Spacecom has access following an agreement with the Moscow-based Intersptunik intergovernmental satellite organization.
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