Sea Launch signed an agreement with Panamsat for multiple launches, including the first commercial mission for the new Land Launch vehicle, Sea Launch announced July 28. The contract also includes options for future Land Launch missions.

The Land Launch contract, signed July 12, calls for a Zenit-3SLB vehicle to loft the PAS-11 satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome by the end of the second quarter 2007. The spacecraft, built by Orbital Sciences Corp., will be located at 43 degrees West to provide television distribution services for Latin America. Both the satellite and the launch vehicle will be processed and launched from existing Zenit facilities at Baikonur.

Panamsat also designated the payloads for a pair of Sea Launch missions.

Galaxy 16 is scheduled for launch in the second quarter of 2006, while Galaxy 18 will launch a year later. Both spacecraft are being built by Space Systems/Loral and each will carry 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders.

Galaxy 16 will be located at 99 degrees West and Galaxy 18 at 123 degrees West, where the spacecraft will provide cable television, data and telecommunications services to the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico and Canada.