A new telecom satellite, which will replace the lost Express AM-4, will be put to orbit before 2015, Yevgeny Buidinov, the director general of the Space Communications Deputy, said at an international conference on IP communications and services in Russia.

        The new satellite will be named "Express AM-4r", "r" stands for reserve. “The construction of the same satellite with the same blueprints will be the quickest way to replace the lost satellite,” Budinov said.

      The position of 80 degrees East is strategic for Russia, so it is very important to make up for lost time as soon as possible. Until launching of the new satellite, the position of 80 degrees East may be used by international or foreign satellites, he added.

      Express-AM4 was launched from Baikonur in the early hours of July 18, but contact with the satellite was lost. The satellite never reached the designated orbit, and Space Communications, which ordered the launch, had to admit the loss of its satellite. Express-AM4 was supposed to become the most modern and powerful satellite in Europe and provide Russia with digital television and satellite Internet service. 

Source: ITAR-TASS

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