Archive for the ‘Arianespace’ Category
Another Ariane 5 is delivered to the Spaceport in French Guiana
The active mission pace for Arianespace’s workhorse Ariane 5 is being sustained as a new launcher is welcomed to the Spaceport.
This latest heavy-lift vehicle was delivered to French Guiana yesterday aboard the MN Colibri, which is one of two roll-on/roll-off ships that transport components from Europe to the launch site in South America. Today, the launcher hardware was transferred by road from the port of Pariacabo to the Spaceport.
Arianespace is planning a total of six Ariane 5 flights during 2010, with three of these already performed and a fourth mission in advanced preparation for liftoff in September.
The three launches conducted so far this year have orbited six satellites, delivering a combined payload lift performance of nearly 24,600 kg.
This activity began with Arianespace’s May 21 launch of the ASTRA 3B commercial telecommunications satellite for Luxembourg-based SES ASTRA, along with the COMSAT Bw-2 secure military relay spacecraft for Astrium GmbH on behalf of the German Bundeswehr.
It was followed by a June 26 flight that lofted Arabsat’s Arabsat-5A telecommunications and TV broadcasting satellite, with the multi-purpose COMS spacecraft for South Korea’s KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute).
Arianespace’s latest mission success occurred August 4, orbiting two satellites that will provide telecommunications services to Africa, the Middle East and Persian Gulf states: NILESAT 201 for Egyptian-based Nilesat, and RASCOM-QAF1R for the Pan-African satellite operator, RascomStar-QAF.
Preparations are well advanced for the fourth Ariane 5 flight of 2010, with its launcher having completed the initial build-up at the Spaceport. This vehicle will carry Eutelsat’s W3B telecommunications satellite and the BSAT-3b relay platform for B-SAT Corporation, and is scheduled for launch on September 15.
Arianespace Announces Launch Contracts For Intelsat-20 And GSAT 10 Satellites
Leading international satellite operator Intelsat has chosen Arianespace to launch its Intelsat-20 satellite. Arianespace has announced that it has been chosen by Intelsat to launch the Intelsat-20 satellite during the second quarter of 2012.
Weighing 5,800 kg. at liftoff, Intelsat-20 will be boosted into geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 ECA from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Intelsat-20 will be built by Space Systems/Loral and will provide at least 15 years of in-orbit service. Positioned at 68.5 degrees East, this high-power satellite will deliver a wide range of telecommunications, video, voice and data transmission services, enabling Intelsat to expand its global coverage in the C and Ku bands. It will replace the Intelsat-7 and Intelsat-10 satellites.
The launch is slated for the first quarter of 2012, using an Ariane 5 from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport, in Kourou, French Guiana.
GSAT 10 will be the 15th ISRO satellite to use the European launcher. Starting with the Apple experimental satellite on Flight L03 in 1981, Arianespace has orbited 13 Indian satellites to date. Arianespace has another Indian satellite in its order book, INSAT 4G (GSAT-8).
GSAT 10 is designed, assembled and integrated by ISRO. Weighing about 3,425 kg. at launch, it has payloads for communications, navigation and broadcasting (DTH). Positioned at 83 degrees East, its primary payload comprises 12 Ku-band transponders, 12 C-band and 12 Extended C-band transponders. GSAT 10 coverage zone will include the entire Indian sub-continent. The satellite’s design life exceeds 15 years.
The latest Ariane 5 success reinforces Arianespace's launch services leadership
Arianespace performed its third Ariane 5 flight of 2010 to orbit another dual-satellite payload and also announced two new contracts – further underscoring the company’s leadership role in the commercial launch services sector.
The Ariane 5’s evening mission from the Spaceport successfully orbited two satellites that will provide telecommunications services to Africa, the Middle East and Persian Gulf states: NILESAT 201 for Egyptian-based Nilesat, and RASCOM-QAF1R for the Pan-African satellite operator, RascomStar-QAF. Both spacecraft were built by Thales Alenia Space.
During today’s mission, the heavy-lift Ariane 5 delivered an estimated total payload lift performance of 7,085 kg., which included 6,250 kg. for the NILESAT 201 and RASCOM-QAF1R satellites, plus their integration hardware and the SYLDA 5 dual-payload dispenser system.
Ariane 5′s mission with NILESAT 201 and RASCOM-QAF1R was performed from the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone.
Ariane 5 confirms its accuracy with an on-target delivery
Following its daytime liftoff from the Spaceport, the Ariane 5 provided another highly accurate payload delivery, with the following provisional orbital parameters for the injection of its cryogenic upper stage:
- Perigee: 248.4 km. for a target of 248.4 km.
- Apogee: 35,923 km. for a target of 35,919 km.
- Inclination: 2.00 deg. for a target of 2.00 deg.
NILESAT 201 was released first in the flight sequence, being deployed from the top of Ariane 5’s payload “stack” at just under 29 minutes into the mission. With a liftoff mass of about 3,200-kg., the satellite carries 24 Ku-band and 4 Ka-band transponders, and is to be positioned at an orbital slot of 7 deg. West. It will provide direct television broadcasting for the Middle East, Africa and Gulf states, and also has the relay capability to open new markets such as broadband Internet access.
RASCOM-QAF1R was the second payload that Arianespace has launched for RASCOM (the Regional African Satellite Communications Organization), which was created in the 1990s to implement, operate and maintain the space segment of an African telecommunications satellite system.
The RASCOM-QAF1R platform weighed approximately 3,050 kg. at liftoff and is to be operated from an orbital position of 2.85 degrees East. It is designed to deliver communications services to rural parts of Africa, including long-distance domestic and international links, direct TV broadcasts and Internet access.