spacetoday.net: Arianespace, ILS win launch contracts

Posted: Tue, Sep 9, 2003, 1:47 PM ET (1747 GMT)
Ariane 5 prior to flight 160 launch (Arianespace)

Both Arianespace and International Launch Services announced new commercial launch contracts on Tuesday. SES Astra has selected Arianespace to launch its Astra 1KR communications satellite, according to an Arianespace statement. An Ariane 5 will launch the Lockheed Martin-built satellite in the second half of 2005. Astra 1KR is a partial replacement for Astra 1K, which was lost in a Proton launch failure in late 2002. ILS also announced Tuesday that it has won a launch contract from Spanish satellite operator Hispasat to launch its Amazonas communications satellite. A Proton M/Breeze M booster will launch the Astrium-built satellite in mid-2004. ILS also announced Monday that SES Americom will launch its AMC-15 satellite on a Proton M in the second half of 2004. Americom had purchased the launch earlier this year but had not identified the payload that would fly on it; Monday’s announcement assigned AMC-15, a broadband communications satellite built by Lockheed Martin, to the launch. The announcements were times to coincide with a satellite business conference taking place this week in Paris.