Gazprom, Thales sign contract to produce two satellites

MOSCOW, February 5 (RIA Novosti) - The telecommunications arm of Russian energy giant Gazprom has signed a deal with Thales Alenia Space for two telecommunication satellites, the companies said in a joint press release on Thursday.

The two Yamal 400 communication satellites with an operational life of 15 years are scheduled to be launched in 2011.

French aerospace company Thales Alenia Space won a tender to build the satellites for Gazprom Space Systems, formerly known as Gazcom, in mid-January.