ARIANESPACE - Ariane 5 flight VA255 Mission patch.
Oct. 24, 2021
Europe’s Ariane 5 has delivered two telecom satellites, SES-17 and Syracuse-4A, into their planned orbits.
Image above: Ariane 5 flight VA255 lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to deliver SES-17 and Syracuse-4A to their planned orbits.
Arianespace announced liftoff at 03:10 BST (04:10 CEST, 23:10 local time on 23 October) from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, for a mission lasting about 38 minutes.
Ariane 5 launches SES-17 and SYRACUSE 4A
“For this launch, we increased the Ariane 5 fairing volume by attaching a 1.5 m raising cylinder to accommodate these two very large, stacked satellites. The development and qualification of this adaptation was funded by ESA. Today's launch of 11.2 t to geostationary transfer orbit is a record performance for Ariane 5,” said Daniel de Chambure, ESA’s Acting Head of Ariane 5 adaptation and future missions.
SES-17, with a launch mass of 6411 kg, in the upper berth of the fairing was released first.
SES-17 satellite prior to launch
Following a series of burns controlled by Ariane’s computer, the Sylda structure encasing the 3853 kg Syracuse-4A payload was jettisoned. Syracuse-4A was released about two minutes later towards its own geostationary transfer orbit.
Ariane 5 transfer
SES-17 is owned and operated by SES. It will deliver broadband coverage over the Americas, the Caribbean and over the Atlantic Ocean and is optimised for commercial aviation.
Ariane 5 transfer from the final assembly building to the launch pad
Syracuse-4A, for France’s DGA (Direction générale de l’armement) defence procurement agency, will provide secure communications between deployed armed forces and will also support NATO and European-led operations.
Ariane 5 on the launch pad for flight VA255 with SES-17 and Syracuse-4A from Europe's Spaceport
Both satellites have a design life of about 15 years.
The performance requested for this Ariane launch was 11 210 kg. The two satellites totalled about 10 264 kg, with payload adapters and carrying structures making up the rest.
Image above: Ariane 5 flight VA255 lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to deliver SES-17 and Syracuse-4A to their planned orbits.
“Ariane 5 demonstrates continuous improvement with each launch. The success today of launch VA255 and the success of VA254 last July were crucial to move towards Ariane 5’s December launch carrying the James Webb Space Telescope,” commented Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Space Transportation.
Flight VA255 was the 111th Ariane 5 mission.
Today’s launch sent two satellites into orbit:
SES-17 satellite
- SES-17: A telecommunications satellite for the Luxembourg-based operator SES that will offer excellent coverage of the Americas, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean. It was designed to revolutionize in-flight connectivity for airline passengers and accelerate initiatives to bridge the digital divide. Its 200 powerful spot-beams can be dynamically allocated to match evolving customer requirements. SES-17 is also the first SES satellite to be fitted with an all-digital payload, controlled by a new-generation digital transparent processor (DTP), which will deliver unprecedented flexibility and efficiency. It was one of the largest satellites ever launched by Arianespace.
SYRACUSE 4A satellite
- SYRACUSE 4A: This military communications satellite, commissioned by the French Armament General Directorate (DGA), will allow to connect the armed forces together when deployed. On the ground, at sea, on the air and even in space, militaries needs secured, militaries need secured and powerful communication means in order to be able to exchange information with the command center. Thanks to its state-of-the-art equipment (anti-jamming antenna and digital transparent processor, SYRACUSE 4A will guarantee a high resistance to extreme jamming methods. At the service of France’s sovereignty, the satellite will also support NATO and European-led operations.
Europe’s data-driven satellite launched
One of the largest telecommunications satellites ever built in Europe has been launched and is on its way to geostationary orbit.
The satellite includes cutting-edge technology developed under ESA’s programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems. It will connect underserved areas and accelerate digital inclusion, as well as providing broadband connectivity for commercial shipping and aviation through its operator, SES.
Called SES-17, the satellite has a new very powerful on-board processor to manage high-speed data traffic in a flexible and efficient way. It belongs to a new generation of data intensive high-throughput or very-high-throughput satellites and uses a fifth-generation digital transparent processor for more capacity and flexibility.
It has an innovative cooling system developed under the ESA Spacebus Neo Partnership Project with the French Space Agency, CNES, and satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space, and used for the first time on a large commercial telecommunications satellite.
SES-17 was launched together with Syracuse 4, another Spacebus Neo satellite, on board an Ariane 5.
The SES-17 satellite prior to being put on the launcher
ESA Partnership Projects help to derisk partners’ investment by boosting innovation and thereby achieving a competitive leap forward in the highly dynamic market for very-high-throughput satellites.
ESA’s Neosat programme comprises both Spacebus Neo by Thales Alenia Space and Eurostar Neo by Airbus. It includes development up to in-orbit validation of new satellite product lines for both companies, allowing the European space industry to deliver competitive satellites for the global commercial satellite market.
To date, 15 Neosat satellites have been sold by European industry to six satellite operators, generating exceptional return on investment to industry and participating states.
Elodie Viau, ESA’s Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications, said: “I am proud to witness the successful launch of SES-17 and Syracuse 4, which serves as a show-case for how ESA is pushing the boundaries of technology, supporting the European space industry on the world market and introducing innovative services for European citizens.
“ESA fosters innovation in the European space industry, enabling it to succeed in the highly competitive, fast evolving global telecommunications markets. Investing in space creates jobs and prosperity on Earth. I congratulate all the teams from our private partners and from ESA for their collaboration leading to this success.”
About Ariane 5
Ariane 5 is operated by Arianespace at Europe’s Spaceport. It can carry payloads weighing more than 10 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit and over 20 tonnes into low Earth orbit. Its performance perfectly complements that of Europe’s Vega light-lift launch vehicle, and Soyuz.
Europe’s next-generation Ariane 6 rocket will eventually replace Ariane 5. Available in two versions, it will be capable of a wide range of missions to any orbit.
Related links:
Ariane 5: http://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane
Space Transportation: https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation
Arianespace: https://www.arianespace.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/ESA WebTV/SciNews.
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