The Russian state committee for telecoms and the country’s space agency (RKA) has chosen two international consortia to build a new generation of Express K satellites, each group winning a contract for three craft. One group is the Troika consortium, comprising French telecoms manufacturer Alcatel Alsthom SA and aerospace company Aerospatiale SA, together with their Russian partner in, NPO-PM. The other is made up of another Russian group, NPO-Energia, together with Dasa from Germany and NEC from Japan. In addition, the authorities placed options for another seven craft with Troika. French business daily Les Echos quoted market sources as saying the price-tag for the Troika order was $300m.For Alcatel, the contract is the latest of a series awarded by Russian clients. The company is already building three Express A satellites for RKA, a contract won in June last year, and is expected to deliver the Sesat satellite to Paris-based European satellite organization Eutelsat at the beginning of next year, enabling it to extend its services to the Commonwealth of Independent States. The first of the three Express K satellites now ordered from Troika will be launched in the year 2000 aboard a proton launch vehicle. The three partners in the consortium will divide the project up, with Aerospatiale being responsible for the overall design of the platform, supplying structures and the propulsion system, while Alcatel will handle the entire payload. NPO-PM, meanwhile, will assemble the craft in Russia..
