Eutelsat and Qatar venture picks Arianespace for satellite launch

The joint programme between Eutelsat and Qatar’s Es’hailSat has moved a step forward with an announcement that Arianespace has been selected to deliver their high performance satellite into orbit in the middle of 2013.

According to a press release, Eutelsat 25B and Es’hail 1 will be located at 25.5 degrees East, to cover the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, and secure regional Ku-band and Ka-band capacity for both satellite operators regional communications plans.

The deal marks the 26th such agreement by Paris-based global satellite operator Eutelsat and the European satellite launch company Arianespace.

The satellite, weighing over six tonnes, is currently being constructed by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L). It will be launched in the second quarter of 2013 on board an Ariane 5 launcher.