Arianespace in deal to launch 3 INTELSAT satellites

PARIS (Reuters) -- Western Europe's heavy satellite launch company Arianespace said on Wednesday it had won a contract to launch three satellites for the Washington-based international satellite operator INTELSAT.

In a statement issued from Arianespace's U.S. subsidiary in Washington, the company said it would launch three satellites in INTELSAT's ninth series of satellites beginning in 2001.

It said an additional three satellites in the series had already been contracted for launch by Arianespace.

"Six of seven INTELSAT IX spacecraft are scheduled to be launched from mid-2001 through the end of 2002 using Ariane 4 or 5 launch vehicles from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana," the statement said.

No financial terms of the contract were disclosed. Specialists estimated the cost of three INTELSAT IX satellites launched aboard Ariane rockets at over $250 million.

The satellites will each weigh 4.7 metric tons and are being built by California-based Space Systems/Loral.

INTELSAT operated the world's first commercial communications satellite, Early Bird, launched in 1965.

Arianespace said it now had on order 49 launch contracts for heavy satellites, smaller auxiliary payloads and Automatic Transfer Vehicles (ATV) for the International Space Station.

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