Arianespace to launch Koreasat 6

25 August 2008

Korean Telecom Corporation (KT Corporation) has chosen Arianespace to launch its next communications satellite, Koreasat 6.

Koreasat 6 will be boosted into geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport, French Guiana, during the second half of 2010.

Koreasat 6 is the second satellite to be launched by Arianespace for the Korean operator, following Koreasat 3, orbited in 1999. Arianespace has another Korean satellite on its launch manifest, COMS-1, a multimission satellite for the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

Koreasat 6 will be built by Thales Alenia Space using a Star-2 platform from Orbital Sciences Corporation of the United States. Weighing about 2,750 kg at launch, it will be fitted with 30 Ku-band transponders. The Koreasat 6 satellite will provide telecommunications and broadcasting services throughout the country, from its orbital position at 116° East. It will have a design life exceeding 15 years.

"We are extremely proud and honored to be chosen for the second time by Korea Telecom Corporation," said Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall. "Our selection is the clear recognition of the high quality and overall excellence of Arianespace's launch Service & Solutions."