Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has secured its first ever commercial launch contract with a deal to loft Telesat’s new high throughput satellite.
MHI has been picked by the Canadian satellite operator to launch Telstar 12 Vantage, which…
Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has secured its first ever commercial launch contract with a deal to loft Telesat’s new high throughput satellite.
MHI has been picked by the Canadian satellite operator to launch Telstar 12 Vantage, which is being built by French manufacturer Astrium, in late 2015.
The announcement comes after the group vowed to aggressively ramp up its overseas commercial activities, following the privatisation of the Japanese H-IIB heavy lift rocket late last year.
The launch will use an upgraded version of its medium-lift H-IIA vehicle, which with the support of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will have improvements to its upper stage.
Telesat CEO Daniel Goldberg said: “Telesat selected MHI to launch our new Telstar 12 Vantage satellite after an extensive evaluation of the H-IIA launch vehicle, including the planned enhancements.
“MHI scored highest on our selection criteria that took into account vehicle performance, technical and operational expertise, and overall commercial terms. Telesat is confident that our strong record of innovation will be enhanced by our partnership with MHI and we look forward to the Telstar 12 Vantage launch mission.”
Shoichiro Asada, MHI’s vice president and senior general manager, said the contract showed the group has the capabilities and expertise to compete in the global market, as it planned to step up the marketing of its launches even further.
Those plans have already seen MHI agree to standardise launch services with French launch provider Arianespace, making it easier for operators to switch between them in the event of a problem.
The Tokyo-headquartered group entered the launch services business in 2007, and in May 2012 it placed an Earth observation satellite for South Korea – its first overseas customer.
According to MHI, the H-IIA rocket has to date carried out 21 of 22 launches successfully.
Telstar 12 Vantage will replace Telesat’s Telstar 12 satellite at 15W, where it will significantly expand high power Ku-band coverage across South America, Africa, the Caribbean, Mediterranean, South Atlantic and North Sea.
