SES Partners with European Space Agency, OHB on All-electric Satellite

摘要

Satellite fleet operator SES, in a decision that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, on Oct. 15 contracted with the European Space Agency (ESA) and satellite builder OHB AG for the design of an all-electric telecommunications satellite. The decision, which was expected given the new commitment to ESA by SES's home government of Luxembourg, carries ESA's Electra program through its design phase. The one-year contract is valued at 12 million euros ($16 million) and is all but certain to be followed by full Electra development. The Phase 1 contract is financed 70 percent by ESA and 30 percent by SES and Bremen, Germany-based OHB. SES is Electra's prime contractor for the design phase, and OHB is SES's subcontractor. The Luxembourg government has said it plans to invest 17 million euros in the Electra program.