MOSCOW. May 13 (Interfax-AVN) - The Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems based in Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk territory, has begun building the Yamal 401 telecom satellite to order of Gazprom Space Systems, General Director Nikolai Testoyedov told Interfax-AVN at the Sviaz-Expocomm 2010 international exhibition in Moscow.
"The Yamal 401 contract has been signed, and works will start soon," he said.
The new-generation telecom satellite is very important for Gazprom Space Systems, Testoyedov said. The energy supply to the Yamal 401 payload will be twice higher than that in the Yamal 300K satellite, which will be launched in 2011. "This means the orbiting resource will be used at maximum," he said.
French Thales is developing the new satellite's payload, Testoyedov said.