Posted: Fri, Oct 31, 2003, 11:56 AM ET (1656 GMT)
Arianespace announced late Thursday that it has shifted the launch of a DirecTV satellite early next year from an Ariane 5 to Sea Launch, marking the first use of a mutual backup agreement. Arianespace said that it would be unable to launch DirecTV 7S in early 2004 because of conflicts "with a dedicated scientific mission", most like ESA's Rosetta comet mission. Several other issues also caused problems, including delays building the satellite by Space Systems/Loral, a backlogged Ariane manifest, and DirecTV's desire to have the satellite launched as soon as possible. Instead, the satellite will be launched in the first quarter of 2004 on a Zenit 3SL operated by Sea Launch. The shift marks the first invocation of a "launch services alliance" among Arianespace, Sea Launch, and Mitsubishi, which markets the H-2A booster. The alliance was formally announced this summer.

Related Links:

•  Arianespace press release