[Satellite Today 09-08-09] Eutelsat signed a contract with International Launch Services (ILS) to the launch the W7 satellite on an ILS Proton rocket in mid-November, the companies announced Sept. 8.
    The W7 satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space based on the Spacebus 4000 C4 platform, is currently in preparation for delivery to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. ILS and Khrunichev said they are implementing a mission integration schedule to support a mid-November 2009 launch.
    W7 will be placed at the 36 degrees East orbital slot and replace Eutelsat’s SESAT 1 satellite, launched in early 2000. It also will aim to double the capacity available within a key neighborhood among the fleet of geostationary satellites and provide enhanced coverage for Central Asia and Africa.

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