ILS, SES Sign
Contract for 5 Launches Through 2013
(18 June 2007) International Launch
Services (ILS) and SES Satellite Leasing announced a contract today that calls
for the launch of five SES satellites on Proton Breeze M vehicles through 2013.
Financial details were not disclosed.
With five firm orders,
this is the largest single Proton launch services contract. ILS has been
marketing the Russian Proton Breeze M vehicle to commercial satellite operators
since 1993, and has carried out 40 launches. The Proton vehicle, built by ILS
partner Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Centre, is Russia's
premier heavy-lift launcher.
The Proton flights will be available to
SES' operating companies: SES Americom, SES Astra, SES New Skies and SES
Sirius. The first mission is expected to be in 2009.
"The real value in
this unique multibuy contract is the flexibility it offers SES, in terms of
matching payloads and launch periods," said Frank McKenna, ILS
president.
"We're proud to continue our long-standing partnership with
SES," McKenna said. "Our relationship goes back to the very beginning of ILS.
SES was the customer for the first commercial launch on Proton back in 1996,
and ILS has launched at least one satellite a year for SES operating companies
ever since. In 2007, we have scheduled launches for SES Americom and SES
Sirius."
Romain Bausch, SES president and CEO, said: "We are confident
that with this innovative agreement in place, the continuous development and
replacement of our global satellite fleet is ensured at attractive terms and
conditions for the foreseeable future, providing SES with an additional
competitive edge. International Launch Services and SES have a long history
together and we look forward to continuing our successful collaboration on
Proton launches."
Over more than 40 years of service, the Proton has
launched more than 325 times. Recent product enhancements enable Proton Breeze
M to lift more than 6 metric tons to geosynchronous orbit from its launch site
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
About SES
SES wholly
owns three market-leading satellite operators, SES Astra in Europe, SES
Americom in North America, and SES New Skies, which provide global coverage and
connectivity. The company also holds strategic participations in SES Sirius in
Europe, Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in Mexico. SES provides outstanding
satellite communications solutions via a fleet of 36 satellites in 25 orbital
positions around the globe.
About ILS
ILS is a joint venture of
Space Transport Inc., Khrunichev and RSC Energia. ILS is incorporated in
Delaware in the United States, and is headquartered in McLean, Va., a suburb of
Washington, D.C.
(source: International Launch Services)