Sea Launch and EchoStar Reach Preliminary Agreement for Launch Services
Sea Launch AG and EchoStar Satellite Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corp. (SATS), have announced that Sea Launch has been identified as the intended launch services provider for the launch of a satellite from the ocean-based Odyssey launch platform in 2015.
Sea Launch’s powerful Zenit-3SL vehicle is ideally suited for launching heavyweight-class spacecraft, with multiple restart capability and heavy-lift performance. Sea Launch’s history with EchoStar dates back to 2003. Most recently it launched the EchoStar XI satellite.
Sergey Gugkaev, chief executive officer of Sea Launch, said, “Sea Launch welcomes the opportunity to support EchoStar’s launch requirement in 2015.” Kjell Karlsen, president of Sea Launch, added, “We are pleased to extend our relationship with EchoStar and we look forward to providing the required flexibility, performance and diversity of supply necessary to support their business plan.”
“This preliminary agreement with Sea Launch provides EchoStar with the flexibility we require to accommodate our launch requirements as we undertake the expansion of our North American fleet,” said Anders Johnson, president of EchoStar Satellite Services. “We have been pleased with Sea Launch’s performance on past missions and look forward to continued success.”
About EchoStar Corporation
EchoStar Corporation (SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite operations and video delivery solutions. EchoStar’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Hughes, is the world’s leading provider of satellite broadband services, delivering network technologies and managed services for enterprise and government customers in more than 100 countries.
Headquartered in Englewood, CO, with additional business units world-wide, EchoStar is a multiple Emmy award-winning company that has pioneered advancements in the set-top box and satellite industries for over 30 years, consistently delivering value for customers, partners and investors through innovation and outstanding quality. EchoStar’s contribution to video technology continues to have a major influence on the way consumers view, receive and manage TV programming.
EchoStar’s consumer solutions include HughesNet(R), North America’s #1 high-speed satellite Internet service, Sling Media’s Slingbox(R) products, and EchoStar’s line of set-top box products for the free satellite and terrestrial viewer markets.
About Sea Launch AG
Sea Launch AG provides launch solutions to the industry’s satellite operator community based on the Zenit launch system. These services include the provision of all-inclusive launch services incorporating schedule assurance, financing, risk management; insurance and creative contracting solutions to meet the changing demands of the commercial launch market. Sea Launch AG owns and manages the primary technology, patent and other intellectual property and tangible assets of the company. These include the launch platform Odyssey and the Sea Launch Commander vessels located in the Home Port facility in Long Beach, California, and the unique know-how associated with launching satellites from an ocean-based launch platform located directly on the equator. The Sea Launch system offers the most direct and cost-effective route to geostationary orbit for commercial communications satellites, providing diversity of supply, affordability and flexibility for the industry’s satellite operators. For more information, please visit the Sea Launch website at: www.sea-launch.com.
