The Sea Launch Co. said Sept. 6 it signed an agreement with Panamsat for the launch of the Horizons-2 satellite using the Land Launch system. It is the second Land Launch contract signed by Sea Launch.

The contract calls for the Orbital Sciences Corp.-built Horizons-2 satellite to be lifted into a geosynchronous transfer orbit in 2007. The satellite ultimately will be located at 74 degrees West. The satellite will support services ranging from digital video, high-definition television and Internet protocol-based content distribution networks to broadband Internet and satellite newsgathering services in the U.S. market.

Land Launch is based on the collaboration of Sea Launch and Space International Services dedicated to launching spacecraft in the medium spacecraft mass range (2,000- 3,600 kilograms). Land Launch uses a Zenit-3SLB version of the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket launched from the existing Zenit launch site at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.