On 8 September 2014, Arianespace announced that under a contract it would be launching the Intelsat 36 spacecraft using its Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle during the third quarter of 2016. The 3,400kg spacecraft is being built by Space Systems/Loral using its LS 1300 bus design and is planned to provide services from its Geostationary Earth Orbit location for Africa and South Asia.