A SpaceX customer has switched to a European competitor for one satellite launch, citing delays in the Hawthorne space company’s schedule after a September explosion.
Satellite communications firm Inmarsat said Thursday that it has signed a contract with French rocket company Arianespace to launch a satellite for the European Aviation Network, a broadband system comprised of both satellites and ground networks.
That satellite is set to be launched in mid-2017 from French Guiana.
Inmarsat had originally planned to launch the satellite with SpaceX, but said it decided to switch to Arianespace “following the delay in SpaceX’s launch schedule.”
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