Eutelsat Extends Agreement With Russian Satellite Communications Company For Satellite Control From The Dubna Satellite Communications Center
Paris, Moscow, 15 September 2011
Eutelsat Communications and the RSCC have extended the agreement under which RSCC provides key services to control Eutelsat's satellites. RSCC manages satellite control activities for Eutelsat from its Dubna Satellite Communications Center (SCC) near Moscow.
The new five-year contract, which will take effect in September 2012, was signed in Paris during World Satellite Business Week by Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, and Yuri Prokhorov, CEO of RSCC. It extends the collaboration on satellite control between both companies which began in 1997 when RSCC was selected by Eutelsat to be a partner in its international ground station network following an international consultation.
Operations for Eutelsat began in Dubna in 1998. The facilities located today at RSCC's centre comprise eight antenna systems for simultaneous monitoring and control of ten Eutelsat satellites in geostationary orbit.
Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, commented on the new contract: "RSCC represents a partner with exceptional competence in satellite control services and we have no hesitation in renewing our longstanding collaboration. With the significant expansion of our fleet over almost 15 years, and in particular the deployment of satellites further East, the Dubna facilities have been an important asset for efficient and flexible operations. We look forward to taking this cooperation to a new level."
"This agreement is clear evidence of how comprehensive, long-term, and successful the cooperation between two major players on the world satellite market can be if it is built on mutual understanding and efficient use of one another's capabilities," said Yuri Prokhorov, RSCC's Chief Executive Officer. "The RSCC satellite centre's unique geographic location enables it to monitor satellites in the orbital coverage area from 27 degrees West to 201 degrees East. The experience we have gained in working with Eutelsat has been successfully applied to similar projects for control and monitoring of other satellites, including RSCC's own fleet."
