International Launch Services of Reston, VA and EchoStar Corp. (NASDAQ: SATS) subsidiary EchoStar Satellite Services of Englewood, Colorado, have received a new launch service contract for the ILS Proton launch of a future heavy-lift mission.
A satellite, weighing more than 6900 kg, is planned to be launched into geostationary transfer orbit on an ILS Proton Breeze M in the late 2015 or early 2016 timeframe from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The Proton vehicle is Russia´s premier heavy lift launcher and is built by Khrunichev Research and Space Production Center of Moscow. Khrunichev is the majority shareholder of ILS and one of the pillars of the Russian space industry. Proton has a long heritage with 385 launches performed since the inaugural flight in 1965. To date, there have been five EchoStar satellites launched on an ILS Proton rocket.
ILS is a world leader in providing launch services for global satellite operators and offers a complete array of services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.
EchoStar Satellite Services provides advanced satellite communications solutions including video distribution, data communications and backhaul services for media and broadcast, enterprise, government and military customers. For more information, visit www.echostarsatelliteservices.com.
Related Articles