spacetoday.net: Arianespace, ILS announce launch contracts

Posted: Fri, Nov 8, 2002, 8:55 PM ET (0155 GMT)
Atlas 5 liftoff

Arianespace and International Launch Services (ILS) each announced Friday the signing of new commercial launch contracts. Arianespace reported that it had reached a deal with Indonesian telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia to launch its TELKOM-2 satellite on an Ariane 5 in 2004. PT Telkom signed a contract with Orbital Sciences Corporation last month to build the spacecraft. ILS, meanwhile, announced Friday that it has reached a deal with Hellas-Sat to launch its eponymous satellite on an Atlas 5 in early 2003. The contract had been anticipated for some time, as ILS has reassigned the Nimiq 2 spacecraft, which was to be launched on an Atlas 5, to a Proton. The spacecraft, an Astrium Eurostar E2000+, was originally built for Intelsat and had been planned for launch by New Skies Satellites at one time. Terms of either deal were not disclosed.