Arianespace - Flight VS10 - O3b Networks poster.
December 18, 2014
Soyuz carrying four O3b Networks satellites liftoff
Soyuz liftoff at – 3:37 p.m. local time in French Guiana – initiating a flight sequence at last 2 hr., 22 min. Produced by Thales Alenia Space, the four O3b Networks satellites weigh approximately 700 kg. each and are to operate in medium Earth orbit (MEO).
Soyuz lifts off on Arianespace’s third flight at the service of O3b Networks
Payload lift performance for this flight is approximately 3,180 kg., including about 2,800 kg. for the four Ka-band satellites, which were produced by Thales Alenia Space for O3b Networks.
The O3b Networks Ka-band relay platforms are produced by Thales Alenia Space, creating a constellation for telecommunications and Internet services that combine high speed and affordable costs for billions of people across the world who do not yet have adequate internet access.
Soyuz flight VS10 carrying four O3b Networks satellites booster's separation
O3b Networks’ satellites operate at a medium Earth orbit (MEO) of 8,062 km., significantly reducing the round-trip data transmission times when compared to telecommunications satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) at 36,000 km.
Repositioning before release the second pair of O3b Networks’ satellites
This December 18 mission is designated VS10 in Arianespace’s numbering system, and be performed from the purpose-built ELS launch facility for Soyuz – which is located in the Spaceport’s northwestern sector.
The previous two Arianespace Soyuz missions for O3b Networks also lofted four spacecraft each on launches performed in July 2014 and June 2013 – enabling the company to deliver connectivity that combines the reach of satellite with the speed of fiber, providing customers with affordable, low latency, high bandwidth connectivity.
O3b Networks’ satellites
Flight VS10 will be Arianespace’s 11th mission overall in 2014, as well as its 10th Soyuz launch performed from French Guiana since the workhorse Russian-built vehicle’s 2011 introduction at the Spaceport.
Related links:
O3b Networks website: http://www.o3bnetworks.com/homepage.aspx
Thales Alenia Space website: http://www.thalesgroup.com/space
For more information about Arianespace, visit: http://www.arianespace.com/index/index.asp
Images, Video, Text, Credit: Arianespace /Screen captures: Orbiter.ch Aerospace.
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