Israeli satellite operator Spacecom has contracted with Russia’s Space International Services (SIS) to loft its next satellite on a Land Launch rocket in Q2 2013, SatelliteFinance has learnt.
Spacecom’s Amos-4 spacecraft will be placed at 65E to…
Israeli satellite operator Spacecom has contracted with Russia’s Space International Services (SIS) to loft its next satellite on a Land Launch rocket in Q2 2013, SatelliteFinance has learnt.
Spacecom’s Amos-4 spacecraft will be placed at 65E to provide Ku and Ka-band services across Russia, the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East.
It is understood that the bird, which is being constructed by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), is being prepared for a launch on a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
Unlike previous Land Launch flights, SIS’ counterpart Sea Launch is not thought to be working on the mission.
Spacecom had signed a non-specific launch contract with nascent US launch provider SpaceX back in 2010, but it is understood the company has yet to assign a spacecraft for this deal.
Spacecom declined to comment on the speculation.
Amos-4 will bolster Spacecom’s coverage of the Eastern side of the globe, a key market for the operator. The company currently holds an Africa-focused Amos-5 spacecraft at 17E, and operates its Amos-2 and Amos-3 birds at 4W, where they cover Central and Eastern Europe. Spacecom plans to further enhance its position as a multi-regional operator in 2015, when it will launch its upcoming Amos-6 satellite to target Europe and the Middle East at 4W.
Land Launch partnered with Spacecom for its inaugural flight back in April 2008, when it placed Amos-3. This satellite was launched successfully from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Zenit-3SLB rocket.
Just over a year later, in June 2009, Sea Launch filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, primarily as a result of Zenit hardware supply chain issues. Sea Launch returned to full flight following its exit from Chapter 11 on 24 September 2011, when it lofted Eutelsat’s Atlantic Bird 7 from the Pacific Ocean.
On December 2011, Russia’s International Launch Services placed Amos-5, Spacecom’s latest satellite to be launched.
