It is with a certain catch in our throats that the Intelsat 31 mission team bid a heartfelt and fond farewell to our long standing friend, mentor, colleague Mr. Alexey Popov.

For 43 years, Alexey Popov has been an unwavering beacon here at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, with a team of about 300 personnel under his watchful eye. Many of his team work side-by-side with us to ensure our respective launch campaigns are done efficiently, cohesively, within our required safety rules and regulations and have, on occasion, overcome many challenges to achieve successful launches for our customers.

He is the glue that has help meld many nations of people, to work together, to grow and cultivate a seamless operation, all the while abiding by each countries respective governmental requirements.

The man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Alexey Popov has retired but his legacy will live on in the hearts of those who have had the privilege to work with him. We wish him Godspeed on his new adventure and may luck run with him as he heads off into the great unknown!