SpaceX, Spacecom reach deal to launch communication satellites

Spacecom said it had agreed to pay SpaceX up to $62 million to launch a second satellite, Amos-8, a year later. The agreements are welcome news for Spacecom after a couple of years of setbacks beyond the SpaceX explosion. In 2015 it lost contact with one of its satellites and earlier this year its controlling shareholder became the target of a securities investigation.

Amos-17, bought from Boeing Satellite Systems International for $161 million, is aimed at expanding and strengthening Spacecom’s coverage of growing satellite service markets in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

The Amos-12 launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2019 and it is set to operate for 19 years. The Amos-8 launch is expected for the second half of 2020. This continues SpaceX’s trajectory towards more launches in future years, having almost completed its scheduled 24 launches in 2017.