The European launch provider Arianespace has signed a contract wth satellite operator and direct television broadcaster DirecTV for the launch of a small Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting satellite. The satellite will be launched in the second half of 2015 on an Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle. While the exact identity of the 3,200kg spacecraft concerned was not revealed, it was identified as a spacecraft currently being built by Orbital Sciences Corp using its STAR 2 bus design.
Comment by David Todd: The identity of the satellite is probably DIRECTV INNOVA/SKYMEXICO 1 which is being built by Orbital Sciences and is designed to provide services over Mexico and Latin America.
