Eutelsat renews RSCC deal for satellite control

Satellite operators Eutelsat and RSCC have extended a deal that will see the latter provide services to control Eutelsat’s satellites.

RSCC manages satellite control activities for Eutelsat from its Dubna Satellite Communications Center near Moscow. The new five-year contract, which will take effect in September 2012, was signed 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 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, said: “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.”