Arianespace has announced a launch services contract with Intelsat for the launch of three satellites through 2017. Weighing more than six tons each at launch, the satellites will be placed into geostationary orbit by the Ariane 5 ECA from Europe's Space Port in French Guiana. Read more
Arianespace to launch the first ten satellites in the Galileo constellation
Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, and René Oosterlinck, Director of the Galileo Program and Navigation-related Activities at the European Space Agency (ESA), today signed the launch contract for the first ten FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellites in Europe's planned Galileo satellite positioning system at ESTEC (European Space Research & Technology Centre) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The contract is managed by ESA on behalf of the European Union. Also present at the contract signing ceremony were Matthias Ruete, Director General of the Energy and Transport Directorate General in the European Commission, and Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General of ESA. These ten satellites will be placed in a circular orbit at an altitude of 23,000 kilometres. They will be launched in pairs starting in December 2012, using five Soyuz launchers operated from the Guiana Space Centre. The satellites will be built by the team of OHB Technology of Germany and Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd. of the United Kingdom. Read more