EUTELSAT 3D Satellite Arrives at the Baikonour Cosmodrome. Readies for ILS Proton Launch on May 14

PARIS and BAIKONOUR, Kazakhstan, April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The EUTELSAT 3D satellite of Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) arrived on April 13 at the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is now undergoing final preparations for launch by a Proton Breeze M rocket supplied by ILS. Lift-off is planned on May 14 from 16.02 GMT (18.02 CET) with spacecraft separation scheduled to occur after a nine hour 13 minute flight.

Weighing 5.4 tons at lift-off, EUTELSAT 3D has been built for Eutelsat by Thales Alenia Space using its established Spacebus 4000 platform. The satellite is designed to operate in orbit for 15 years.

With a baseline design equipping it to strengthen Eutelsat's overall in-orbit flexibility and back-up from multiple orbital slots, EUTELSAT 3D will initially be located at the 3° East orbital position to address high-growth video, data, telecom and broadband markets. Through its configuration of Ku and Ka transponders connected to three footprints, the new satellite will serve customers in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. A fourth service area in the Ku-band will address markets in sub-Saharan Africa. EUTELSAT 3D will operate at 3° East until the deployment of the EUTELSAT 3B satellite to this position in 2014 to provide spectrum growth and high levels of operational flexibility in C, Ku and Ka bands. It will subsequently continue service at 7° East.

The launch will be videostreamed live on http://www.eutelsat.com.

About Eutelsat Communications (http://www.eutelsat.com)

Eutelsat Communications is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A. With capacity commercialised on 30 satellites delivering reach of  Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, significant parts of the Americas and the Asia-Pacific, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the world's leading satellite operators. As of 31 December 2012 Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting 4,500 television channels to over 200 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Group's satellites also provide a wide range of services for TV contribution, corporate networks and fixed and mobile broadband markets. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ over 780 commercial, technical and operational professionals from 30 countries.

SOURCE Eutelsat Communications