Article Posted on : - Nov 23, 2009

An artist's concept of Eutelsat W7 satellite.

MOSCOW (BNS): Russia will launch European satellite Eutelsat W7 from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on Monday, federal space agency Roscosmos said.

The satellite will be launched on board a Proton-M carrier rocket.

Eutelsat W7 is a communication satellite designed to provide digital broadcasting in Europe, including Russia, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East.

Russian-American joint venture International Launch Services (ILS) had signed a contract with the Eutelsat satellite operator to launch Eutelsat W7 to upgrade its existing satellite grouping.

Eutelsat W7 has been manufactured by Thales Alenia Space. The 5.5-ton satellite features up to 74 Ku-band transponders and has a lifetime of about 15 years.

It will replace the SESAT 1 satellite, which has been in orbit since 2000.