[May 21, 2013] International Launch Services and Eutelsat Enter into New Launch Contract Tweet May 21, 2013 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- International Launch Services (ILS) and Eutelsat, a satellite operator, announced a contract on May 15 for the launch of a Eutelsat satellite in the 2014-2016 timeframe by ILS Proton from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. According to a release, the announcement follows the successful Proton launch of the Eutelsat 3D satellite on May 15. ILS stated that the Proton vehicle is Russia's premier heavy-lift launcher, with a history of 386 launches since 1965. The Proton launch vehicle is built by Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center, the majority shareholder of ILS and one of the pillars of the space industry. Phil Slack, president of ILS said, "With this launch, Eutelsat is relying on performance of the Proton vehicle just as we demonstrated with yesterday's successful launch of the Eutelsat 3D satellite. We now have seven launches to date for Eutelsat over our 13 year partnership. ILS and Khrunichev are looking forward to delivering on our commitments for Eutelsat and continuing to support their plans for growth and expansion with the launch of this mission." "We selected Proton because we needed both flexibility and performance and we know ILS and Khrunichev can provide both with the powerful Proton vehicle. We look forward to working with ILS and Khrunichev once again on this future mission," said Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat. ILS provides launch services for global satellite operators and offers an array of services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. Khrunichev, which holds the majority interest in ILS, is one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry. More information: www.ilslaunch.com www.khrunichev.com ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]