EchoStar Corp. and Arianespace, SA, have reached a new
contract for the launch of multiple new satellites over a number of years from
Europe's spaceport in French Guiana.
The new contract continues a longstanding relationship
between EchoStar and Arianespace that began in 1996.
"In July, EchoStar's wholly owned subsidiary, Hughes
completed the successful launch of EchoStar XVII with Arianespace, giving us
confidence in Arianespace's ability to execute on future launches," said
Anders Johnson, president of EchoStar Satellite Services. "The Ariane 5 vehicle
has been a reliable, flight-proven launch system. We look forward to relying on
Ariane 5 to deliver on-time success in the execution of our near term expansion
programs."
In a separate statement Michael Dugan, president and CEO for
EchoStar, noted that "with this new Arianespace contract, we remain at the
forefront of state-of-the-art DTH services while significantly expanding
transponder capacity."
In 2012, Arianespace performed eight successful launches at
the CSG. Overall the company reports that it has "more than 50% of the
commercial satellite launch market."
