Intelsat 23 Launch Success to Provide Enhanced Capacity for the Americas, Europe and Africa
Reston, Va., and Luxembourg, 14 October 2012
Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of satellite services, announced today that an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton vehicle successfully launched the Intelsat 23 satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Liftoff occurred at 4:37 a.m. EDT. The Intelsat 23 satellite separated from the rocket’s upper stage 9 hours and 30 minutes after launch, at 2:07 p.m. EDT, and signal acquisition has been confirmed.
With an anticipated service life of more than 18 years, Intelsat 23 will provide enhanced capacity for enterprise, oil and gas, and data networking applications. Replacing Intelsat 707 at 307° East, the satellite will provide C-band services to customers in the Americas, Europe and Africa, and Ku-band coverage for Latin America.
“Intelsat 23 will refresh satellite capacity across four continents, offering critical services to the world’s leading communications providers,” said Intelsat CEO David McGlade. “This launch continues our current fleet replacement and expansion campaign, which is scheduled for completion in early 2013.”
ILS President Frank McKenna said, “It is an honor to celebrate our landmark 75th commercial launch with Intelsat with the successful launch of the Intelsat 23 satellite. The performance of the ILS Proton vehicle for this near geostationary orbit mission will provide expanded lifetime for the Intelsat 23 satellite. We are pleased to enable the expansion of Intelsat’s fleet and support its plans for continued growth.”
The Proton Breeze M vehicle is built by Khrunichev State Research and Space Production Center of Moscow, one of the pillars of the aerospace industry and majority owner of ILS. Proton has a heritage of 380 missions since its maiden flight in 1965. This was the 6th ILS Proton launch this year.
Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Intelsat 23 is the final scheduled launch for Intelsat in 2012. Intelsat 27 is scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2013. The launch will mark the completion of Intelsat’s global broadband mobility platform.
About Intelsat
Intelsat is the leading provider of satellite services worldwide. For over 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet Service Providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video, data and voice services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and broadband access, with Intelsat, advanced communications anywhere in the world are closer, by far.
Intelsat Safe Harbor Statement
Some of the statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" that do not directly or exclusively relate to historical facts. The forward-looking statements made in this release reflect Intelsat's intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of Intelsat's control. Known risks include, among others, the risks included in Intelsat’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and its other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the political, economic and legal conditions in the markets we are targeting for communications services or in which we operate and other risks and uncertainties inherent in the telecommunications business in general and the satellite communications business in particular. Because actual results could differ materially from Intelsat's intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about the future, you are urged to view all forward-looking statements contained in this news release with caution. Intelsat does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About ILS and Khrunichev
ILS is a world leader in providing launch services for global satellite operators offering a complete array of customized services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. ILS has exclusive rights to market the Proton vehicle to commercial satellite operators worldwide and is a U.S. company headquartered in Reston, Va., near Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.
Khrunichev, which holds the majority interest in ILS, is one of the cornerstones of the global space industry. Khrunichev manufactures the Proton system and is developing the next generation Angara launch system. The Proton launches from facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and has a heritage of 380 missions since 1965. Khrunichev includes among its branches, a number of key manufacturers of launch vehicle and spacecraft components in Moscow and in other cities of the Russian Federation. For more information, visit www.khrunichev.com.
Additional Contacts:
Alex Horwitz
Director, Corporate Communications
alex.horwitz@intelsat.com
+1 202 944 6806
