ARIANESPACE - Ariane 5 ECA Flight VA248 Mission poster.
June 20, 2019
Image above: Arinae 5 successfully orbited two telecommunications satellites on its second flight of 2019, performed from the Spaceport in French Guiana. Flight VA248. T-16 and EUTELSAT 7C. Image Credit: Arianespace.
An Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle (Ariane Flight VA248) launched AT&T T-16 and EUTELSAT 7C satellites to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Ariane Launch Complex No. 3 (ELA 3) at Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on 20 June 2019, at 21:43 UTC (18:43 local time). T-16 was manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space and will provide high-power broadcast services in Ku- and Ka-bands. EUTELSAT 7C was built by Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, and is a high-power broadcast satellite for markets in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Turkey.
Arianespace TV VA248 Launch Sequence
Conducted from the ELA-3 launch pad, today’s mission deployed an estimated payload lift performance of 10,594 kg. to geostationary transfer orbit. T-16 was released first in the sequence, separating from Ariane 5 27 minutes after liftoff, followed six minutes later by its EUTELSAT 7C co-passenger.
“For the second Ariane 5 launch of the year, our heavy-weight vehicle has once more performed perfectly,” said Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël, who provided his post-flight comments from the Spaceport’s mission control center. “Congratulations to all!”
Another dual-payload delivery for Ariane 5
T-16 – produced in France by Airbus Defence and Space, based on the Eurostar 3000 LX Hybrid platform – will provide high-power broadcast services in Ku- and Ka-bands.
Being flexible, this hybrid-propulsion-powered broadcast satellite can be operated from five different orbital slots (from 99 deg. West to 119 deg. West) – with a coverage area that includes the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Its liftoff mass was estimated at 6,350 kg.
T-16
EUTELSAT 7C, an all-electric-propulsion telecommunications satellite for operation by Eutelsat, was released from the Ariane 5 launcher’s lower payload position. It was built by Maxar Technologies in the U.S. state of California using the company’s 1300-140” All-Electric platform and weighed approximately 3,400 kg. at liftoff.
EUTELSAT 7C
Once operational from its orbital position at 7 deg. East, EUTELSAT 7C will significantly increase capacity over Sub-Saharan Africa – making room for several hundred additional digital channels as this region’s television market continues to grow at a rapid pace.
For more information about Arianespace, visit: http://www.arianespace.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: Arianespace/Airbus Defence and Space/EUTELSAT.
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