Mexican satellite operator Satmex remains confident that its Satmex 8 satellite will be launched by the end of the year despite the suspension of launches by International Launch Services.
The launch services provider is currently awaiting the outcome…
Mexican satellite operator Satmex remains confident that its Satmex 8 satellite will be launched by the end of the year despite the suspension of launches by International Launch Services.
The launch services provider is currently awaiting the outcome of the investigation by both the Failure Review Oversight Board and the Russian State Commission into the launch failure of the Proton rocket carrying RSCC’s Express-MD2 and Telekomunikasi Indonesia’s Telkom-3 satellites at the beginning of August.
While that launch was conducted by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, ILS uses the same Khrunichev-built Proton rocket and will not recommence its launch missions until the investigations have been completed.
Under the terms of the launch contract, Satmex 8 has a launch window of August to October 2012. This now appears unlikely and Satmex is still awaiting a definite launch date. However, the company is confident that Satmex 8 will be launched and operational before Satmex 5, the satellite it is due to replace, is put into an inclined orbit in February 2013.
Speaking on the satellite operator’s Q2 2012 results conference call, Satmex CEO Patricio Northland commented: “After the Proton launch vehicle anomaly occurred on 7 August 2012, ILS has suspended launches while it investigates the most likely cause. Once the investigation is completed, the Satmex 8 launch date will be determined.
“While this failure will obviously result in a delay to the Satmex 8 launch, we have every reason to believe that Satmex 8 will launch this year, in advance of the Satmex 5 end of life date.”
He added: “We are in constant communication with ILS. We are also participating on a board in Moscow with other satellite operators (who have forthcoming ILS launches). So we feel very comfortable, given the historical record of ILS when a failure has occurred, that we are going to be able to launch Satmex 8 before the end of the year.”
Satmex 8 has been constructed by Space Systems Loral and is currently being stored in their facilities in Palo Alto, California. The satellite, which has a final programme cost of US$318m, has 40 Ku-band and 24 C-band transponders, a 45% increase in capacity on Satmex 5.
Satmex has another satellite currently under construction, Satmex 7, the all-electric satellite it order from Boeing Satellite Services as part of a joint procurement agreement with Asian satellite operator ABS. The spacecraft, which will replace Solidaridad 2, is due to be launched in the first quarter of 2015. Solidaridad 2 is currently operating from an inclined orbit primarily providing L-band services to the Mexican Government. After Satmex 8 is eventually launched, the company plans to place Satmex 5 in inclined orbit in the slot presently occupied by Solidaridad 2.
