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Eutelsat Communications jointly announced with Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC (News - Alert)) recently that the agreement under which RSCC provides critical services to control Eutelsat's satellites has been extended. Satellite control activities for Eutelsat (News - Alert) are managed by RSCC from Dubna Satellite Communications Center (SCC) located in Moscow.

The renewed five-year contract comes into effect as of September next year, 2012. This renewal agreement was signed off by Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, and Yuri Prokhorov, CEO of RSCC in Paris in the course of the World Satellite Business Week. The collaboration first began between in the two companies in 1997 when RSCC was chosen by Eutelsat as a partner for its international ground station network. This was after a great deal of international consultation. This collaboration is now all set to extend.

Official operations for Eutelsat began in Dubna in 1998. The RSCC's centre today has eight antenna systems that allow simultaneous monitoring as well as control of 10 Eutelsat satellites that are in geostationary orbit.

In a release Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, commented on the renewed contract saying, "RSCC represents a partner with exceptional competence in satellite control services and we have no hesitation in renewing our longstanding collaboration. With the significant expansion of our fleet over almost 15 years, and in particular the deployment of satellites further east, the Dubna facilities have been an important asset for efficient and flexible operations. We look forward to taking this cooperation to a new level."

Yuri Prokhorov, RSCC's Chief Executive Officer, said, "This agreement is clear evidence of how comprehensive, long-term, and successful the cooperation between two major players on the world satellite market can be if it is built on mutual understanding and efficient use of one another's capabilities," said.

The satellites of Russian Satellite Communications Company, Russia’s national satellite communications operator provides international coverage. Established in 1967 and is among the ten largest satellite operators globally. This is in terms orbiting frequency resources size. It is also the owner of Russia's largest satellite constellation.