Amos-3, with a shelf life of 18 years, was meant to carry a 250 kilogram
payload, more than 50 percent heavier than its previous platforms. The
satellite was meant to replace Amos-1, placed into orbit in 1996.
Executives said Amos-3 would provide broadcasting and communications
services to Europe, the Middle East and the eastern coast of the United
States. They said Amos-3 would be launched by a Russian-origin Start
vehicle.
IAI, which has developed and employed its own space-launch vehicle, has
been using facilities in India and Kazakhstan for recent satellites. In
January 2008, TecSAR, Israel's first synthetic aperture radar satellite,
was launched by an Indian vehicle.