Satellite News

ARIANESPACE TO LAUNCH W2M FOR EUTELSAT

Eutelsat Communications and Arianespace have announced the signature of a contract for the launch of the W2M satellite.
The satellite will be launched by an Ariane 5 in the second quarter of 2008 from the Guiana Space Center,
Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

The new contract consolidates a collaboration between the two companies which has lasted more than 22 years:
the European launcher has orbited more than half of Eutelsat's fleet. The contract is the 274th won by Arianespace
since being founded in March 1980.

W2M will be built by a new industrial consortium grouping EADS Astrium and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization).
It will operate typically 26 transponders in Ku-band and up to 32 depending on operational modes for a designed operational
lifetime of 15 years. Eutelsat's new satellite is designed to provide additional security for customers and can be deployed
at a number of orbital positions used by the W satellites, in particular the 10 degrees East position.

Like all Eutelsat satellites in the W series, W2M displays great flexibility to operate a wide range of services from television
broadcasting to data networks and broadband. In addition to a fixed beam coverage taking in Europe, North Africa and the
Middle East, it will carry one steerable beam which can be re-oriented in orbit according to market requirements and notably
.towards Africa and central Asia, consolidating Eutelsat's high levels of commercial flexibility