[SatNews] A new MOU has been signed by both companies for a SATCOM partnership...
The Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC), Russia's state satellite operator, and Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will expand their longstanding strategic partnership in satellite communications. According to the MOU, a new satellite will be launched in 2015 to 36 degrees East, the most popular neighborhood for satellite TV in Russia. The new spacecraft will be designed to optimize capacity at a multi-satellite position, delivering new resources to both RSCC and Eutelsat for consumer broadcasting and multimedia services within a footprint of European Russia to the Urals. It will also carry a payload with a footprint over sub-Saharan Africa to provide long-term continuity for services currently supplied at 36 degrees East by W4, and capacity for further expansion. Financing of the new satellite will be ensured by Eutelsat, with the launch provided within the framework of the current Russian Federal Space Programme for 2006-2015. In-orbit operations will be managed by RSCC from its Dubna satellite centre.
The longstanding collaboration between the two companies goes back to 1994 when RSCC, representing the Russian Federation, joined the EUTELSAT intergovernmental organization in order to develop its international satellite resources. The opening of services at 36 degrees East began in 1997 with the positioning by Eutelsat of a first satellite to initiate digital TV broadcasting in Russia. This milestone was followed in 2000 by the launches of Eutelsat's W4 and SESAT 1 satellites, the latter marking the beginning of an industrial collaboration between French and Russian satellite manufacturing capabilities that was followed by the Express AM series of satellites. The most recent milestone at 36 degrees East was the entry into service in January 2010 of Eutelsat's powerful, high-capacity W7 satellite that replaced SESAT 1, and has more than doubled available resources.
