International Launch Services (ILS) now has a contract today with Inmarsat for the launch of an S-band satellite to provide mobile broadcast and two-way telecommunications services throughout Europe. The contract follows last week’s successful launch of the Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite on an ILS Proton Breeze M vehicle. ILS holds the exclusive worldwide rights to market and sell commercial launch services on the Proton launch vehicle. The Proton booster and Breeze M are manufactured by Khrunichev Space Center, the majority owner of ILS and one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry. Thales Alenia Space of France is developing Inmarsat’s S-band satellite, known as EuropaSat, using its Spacebus 4000C3 platform. The spacecraft will have a mass of about 5700 kg, which is well-suited for Proton’s heavy-lift capability.The launch is planned for early 2011.