Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy wins first satellite launch order: report

TOKYO (AFP) Apr 02, 2003
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will use an H-IIA rocket to launch a satellite for Spanish company Hispasat, marking the first commercial launch using a Japanese- developed rocket, a report said Wednesday.

The two firms are expected to sign an agreement in early May, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said.

They have yet to set the launch price, which could be below the 8.5 billion yen (72.03 million dollar) cost of a standard H-IIA launch, it said.

Hispasat will commission Mitsubishi Heavy to launch a communications satellite weighing about four tons in end 2005 or early 2006, it said.

Mitsubishi Heavy sees the order as a stepping stone to making a full-fledged entry into the satellite launch market.

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