spacetoday.net: EchoStar signs launch deal with Arianespace

EchoStar signs launch deal with Arianespace

Posted: Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 6:26 AM ET (1126 GMT)
Ariane 5 launch of EchoStar 17 and MSG-3 (Arianespace)

Satellite services company EchoStar announced Monday it has signed a multi-launch deal with Arianespace. The company, which operates satellites for the DISH Network direct-to-home TV service and other communications applications, said it would launch "multiple" satellites with Arianespace in the "multi-year" deal, without specifying the number of satellites or the exact length of the deal. While EchoStar has launched satellites with Arianespace in the past, including the EchoStar 17 in July, the deal is seen as a rebuke of International Launch Services, whose Proton rockets EchoStar has regularly used.