Inmarsat Switches to Ariane 5 from Falcon Heavy

Jeff Foust, for SpaceNews:

In a statement, the London-based satellite operator said the launch of an S-band satellite for the European Aviation Network (EAN) would now take place on an Ariane 5 in mid-2017. The satellite, which also includes a Ku-band payload for Hellas-Sat in a so-called “condo-sat” arrangement, was planned to launch on a Falcon Heavy.

“We are delighted with the flexibility that Arianespace has shown in being able to provide a launch slot that enables us to place our European Aviation Network S-band satellite in orbit by mid-2017,” Michele Franci, chief technology officer of Inmarsat, said in a company statement.

Four months ago, we heard about the tricky situation Inmarsat is in with this satellite. It’s not a big surprise that they switched, and while it’s a bad look for SpaceX, it’s not that big of a deal. Yet.

These are exactly the kinds of customers that Arianespace and ULA can pick off, even at a higher price. Customers like this are exactly who ULA has been targeting as they enter commercial launch services.

One launch isn’t a big deal. But as ULA pushes harder towards under-the-gun switches to available, yet higher-priced launch providers, we could see more events like this.

SpaceX really needs to get flying again, and they need to have a very solid 2017. They’ve been promising a significant uptick in launches for the past 3 years, and the last 2 have been cut short by a failure.