PR/29/10
EUTELSAT SELECTS ASTRIUM
TO DELIVER W5A SATELLITE
TO DRIVE UP CAPACITY AND FLEXIBILITY AT
70.5 DEGREES EAST
Paris, 30 June 2010
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL), one of the world’s leading satellite operators, announced today that it has selected Astrium to build a 48-transponder Ku-band satellite that will be located at its 70.5° East location in geostationary orbit. Scheduled for launch in fourth quarter 2012, the satellite will replace the W5 craft and more than double Eutelsat’s resources at 70.5° East. It will be used for a range of professional applications that include government services, broadband access, GSM backhauling and professional video exchanges in Europe, Africa and Central and South-East Asia.
Weighing in at five tonnes, W5A will be based on the Astrium Eurostar E3000 platform with a designed in-orbit lifetime exceeding 15 years. Each of the satellite’s four high-performance fixed beams will be focused over a distinct zone: Europe, Africa, Central Asia and South-East Asia reaching as far as Australia. Through a high degree of on-board connectivity, clients will be able to use the beams either for regional coverage or to interconnect continents. This will support high-growth services that include secure government communications in Central Asia through hubs located in the region or in Europe, business networks between South-East Asia and Africa, and direct connectivity between Europe and Australia.
Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO commented on the new satellite: “The features of W5A underscore Eutelsat’s commitment to optimising resources at each orbital location and increasing the key feature of in-orbit flexibility for customers. The 70.5° East position sits at the crossroads of three continents, enabling businesses and government agencies to carry out rapid, efficient and scaleable connections between Europe, Africa and large parts of Asia. We believe that the exceptionally high flexibility devised for W5A will enable us to respond to the continued strong growth of professional satellite-based services in all these markets. This contract also marks a new milestone in our relationship with Astrium, a longstanding industrial partner for Eutelsat, that will deliver a 19th satellite for our Group.”
For François Auque, CEO of Astrium: “We are very pleased with this new order from Eutelsat. We will deliver the KA-SAT satellite to Eutelsat later this year, followed by ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 in 2011 and W5A in 2012. We look forward to continuing the effective and fruitful co-operation that has been developed between our two companies.” W5A is the 10th telecommunications satellite awarded to Astrium in the past 18 months.
W5A forms part of Eutelsat’s capital expenditure programme of an average of 450 million euros per year for the period June 2009 to June 2012.
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 26 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 31 March 2010, Eutelsat’s satellites were broadcasting more than 3,500 television channels. More than 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group’s satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ nearly 650 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries.
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About Astrium
Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2009, Astrium had a turnover of €4.8 billion and more than 15,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment and Astrium Services for the development and provision of secure and commercial satcoms and networks, high security satellite communications equipment, geo-information products and services, and navigation services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2009, EADS generated revenues of €42.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 119, 000.
Contacts for the media:
Daniel Mosely (Astrium GB) Tel.: +44 (0)1 438 77 8180
Ralph Heinrich (Astrium D) Tel.: +49 (0) 89 607 33971
Mathias Pikelj (Astrium D) Tel.: +49 (0)7545 8 9123
Matthieu Duvelleroy (Astrium FR) Tel.: +33 (0) 1 77 75 80 32
Francisco Lechón (Astrium SP) Tel.: +34 91 586 37 41