SES has signed a collaboration agreement with Space Systems International Monaco (SSI-Monaco) for the right to commercialize the latter’s 12 transponders on the forthcoming MonacoSat/TurkmenSpace satellite.
The spacecraft is currently being built by…
SES has signed a collaboration agreement with Space Systems International Monaco (SSI-Monaco) for the right to commercialize the latter’s 12 transponders on the forthcoming MonacoSat/TurkmenSpace satellite.
The spacecraft is currently being built by Thales Alenia Space and is due to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in late 2014, early 2015.
Founded in 2004, SSI-Monaco signed a licence agreement with the Monaco government in 2009 for the development and use of the principality’s 52E orbital location.
In November 2011, SSI-Monaco subsequently agreed to licence the use of the slot to the Turkmenistan Ministry of Communications, which intended to use it to place its first telecommunications satellite, TurkmenSpace.
Under the agreement, SSI-Monaco has the right to use twelve of the satellite’s 38 transponders, which it has named the MonacoSat payload. SES will now sell the capacity on these transponders.
Commenting on the agreement, Gerson Souto, chief development officer at SES said: “The agreement with SSI-Monaco is a clear win-win achievement for all parties involved. SES, an established satellite operator, is pleased to support the market-entry of new satellite start-ups and the development of new spacefaring nations who wish to participate in the global satellite communications market. SES looks forward to working with SSI-Monaco on this exciting satellite project.”
Dr. Ilhami Aygun, president & CEO of SSI-Monaco, added: “I am confident that the collaboration between SES and SSI-Monaco will be successful in bringing new opportunities to Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.”
Aygun was one of the pioneers of satellite communications in Turkey, being the first director of Turkish Satellite Communications Center, the designer and programme director of the Turksat -1A, -1B and -1C satellites, and the director general and CEO of Eurasiasat. During his leadership of the latter, the company completed the financing, design, manufacturing and operations of the Eurasiasat-1/Turksat-2A satellite.
Neither SES nor SSI-Monaco were available for comment at the time of going to press.
