American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX report the signing of two new contracts for its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy spacecraft during the World Satellite Business Conference in France on Monday.
The California-based space company said that the new contracts feature orders to launch satellites for the Spanish communications firm HISPASAT on one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and another one for the Saudi Arabian group Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat) 6A on a Falcon Heavy rocket.
The latest launch orders add to the more than 60 missions that SpaceX has lined up in the coming years, which amount to around $7 billion.
SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell said that the company is pleased to welcome the new launch orders to its manifest.
She said that the diversity of SpaceX's missions and clients provides a strong endorsement of its capabilities. It also reflects the space company's commitment to providing its growing client base with an extensive list of launch services.
While both SpaceX and its new clients refused to divulge any details regarding the exact amount of the launch orders, the space company's official website states that a typical Falcon 9 rocket launch costs around $61.2 million, while a Falcon Heavy rocket launch costs around $90 million.
HISPASAT serves as the operating company for several Spanish-owned communications satellites in Europe, North Africa and the Americas. Its satellites transmit more than 1,250 radio stations and television channels to over 30 million homes. The company also offers other broadband services to landlines and mobile phones.
Arabsat of Saudi Arabia is responsible for managing the communications satellites used in different Arab countries.
SpaceX is expected to launch the new missions from its launch pad in the Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida from 2017 to 2018.
SpaceX was founded by billionaire industrialist Elon Musk in June 2002. The space company provides different mission services to its clients, including the designing, manufacturing and launching of its spacecraft. It has also become the first commercial company to deliver supplies to the crew of the International Space Station (ISS).
The company has released its design for a seven-man spacecraft that NASA plans to use to transport astronauts to the ISS by 2017. This will effectively eliminate the reliance of the American space agency on securing rides aboard Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft.
