Eutelsat has terminated its capacity contracts on the RSCC-owned Express AT1 and Express AT2 satellites following the failure of Express AT1 at 56 degrees East and the planned relocation of Express AT2 from 140 degrees East.
The Paris-based satellite operator said the leases had been used to complement coverage from its own Eutelsat 36C and 36D satellites at 36 degrees East.
Earlier this week, the state-owned Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) confirmed its Express-AT1 satellite had stopped functioning on March 4, but was unable to give any reason for the failure.
Eutelsat has come under pressure for its relationship with Russia, which is subject to a series of sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.
Eutelsat said the termination would have a low single-digit million impact on revenues in fiscal year 2025-26, with virtually no effect on EBITDA. The company added that the change does not affect any element of its financial objectives.
Following the end of the two agreements, Eutelsat’s GEO fleet now stands at 31 satellites, down from 33.
