First Ariane 5 launch of 2022 is a success

 

Arianespace - Ariane 5 ECA Flight VA257 Mission logo.

June 22, 2022

First Ariane 5 launch of 2022 is a success, supporting two loyal clients of Arianespace: MEASAT (Malaysia) and NSIL (India)

 - The Ariane 5, operated by Arianespace, has successfully placed two telecommunications satellites into geostationary orbit: MEASAT-3d for the Malaysian operator MEASAT, and GSAT-24 built by the Indian Space Agency ISRO on behalf of NSIL.

– Carrying out its first mission of the year, and the 113th overall, Ariane 5 once again demonstrates its exceptional reliability.

– Mission VA257 will improve broadband coverage in the Asia-Pacific region and represents another commercial success for Ariane 5 in the Asia-Pacific market.

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 06:50 pm local time, an Ariane 5 launcher lifted off from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana (South America), successfully orbiting two geostationary telecommunication satellites, MEASAT-3d and GSAT-24.

Ariane 5 carrying MEASAT-3d and GSAT-24 liftoff

“With this Ariane 5 mission, Arianespace is honored to support the ambitions of two key actors in the Asia-Pacific region: MEASAT, the leading Malaysian satellite operator and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India company within the Department of Space (DOS) acting in concert with the Indian Space Agency ISRO. With the orbiting of both MEASAT-3d, the fourth satellite that we’ve launched for the benefit of Malaysia, and GSAT-24, the 25th Indian satellite we’ve delivered for them, we are affirming our long term partnership with these two great actors,” declared Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace.

MEASAT-3d, to be co-located with MEASAT-3a and MEASAT-3b in the 91.5°E orbital slot, is a multi-mission telecommunications satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space. It will significantly enhance broadband speeds of up to 100 Mbps per user in areas with limited or no terrestrial network throughout Malaysia, while continuing to provide redundancy and additional capacity for video distribution in HD, 4K, and ultimately 8K in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ariane 5 launches MEASAT-3d and GSAT-24

MEASAT-3d will also carry an extremely innovative payload on behalf of the Korean operator KTSAT.  Conceived by Airbus Defense and Space, it will be used by the Korean Augmentation System (KASS), a project of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport led by KARI, the Korean Space Agency, to significantly improve air traffic control in South Korea.

GSAT-24 is a Ku-band 4-ton class communications satellite built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) that will provide high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services across India. It will be the first “Demand Driven” communications satellite mission undertaken by NSIL.

“After the successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, this new achievement helps Ariane 5 write a new chapter in space history”, said André-Hubert Roussel, CEO of ArianeGroup. “Ariane 5 demonstrates its reliability once again, justifying the trust of Arianespace’s customers worldwide. Its successes are tied to Ariane 6, which benefits from the same reliability along with increased competitiveness and versatility.”

The Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher is an ESA program carried out in cooperation between public institutions and industry across 12 European partner states.

ArianeGroup is the lead contractor for the development and production of Ariane 5, and is responsible for campaign operations and preparation of the launch vehicle up to lift-off. ArianGroup hands over a “ready to fly” rocket to its subsidiary Arianespace, which sells the Ariane 5 and operates it from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. During launch campaigns, Arianespace works closely with CNES, who is the design authority for the Ariane 5 and controls the satellite preparation facilities at the CSG.

After this launch, four Ariane 5 vehicles remain before the Ariane 6 takes up the baton, supporting Europe’s institutional missions, while meeting the growing needs of the commercial market.

MEASAT-3d is a multi-mission telecommunications satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space for MEASAT, the leading Malaysian satellite operator. This new satellite will significantly enhance broadband speeds of up to 100 Mbps in areas with limited or no terrestrial network throughout Malaysia while continuing to provide redundancy and additional capacity for video distribution in HD, 4K, and ultimately 8K in the Asia-Pacific region.

MEASAT-3d

Planned for more than 18 years of operation, MEASAT-3d is designed to have electrical power of 12 kW. It will carry C- and Ku-band payloads for direct-to-home (DTH) services and a high-throughput Ka-band payload with multiple user spot beams optimised to deliver high speed broadband communications over Malaysia for internet connectivity.  Apart from this, the satellite will also host a Q/V band payload, the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, which allows MEASAT to study propagation effects in high rainfall regions like Malaysia, to enable the design of its next generation satellites.

MEASAT-3d will be co-located with MEASAT-3a and MEASAT-3b at the 91.5°E orbital slot.

GSAT-24 is a Ku-band 4-tonne class communications satellite built for NSIL by ISRO. This satellite will provide high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services and will meet the DTH needs  of Indian customers. GSAT-24 is configured on ISRO’s proven I-3k Bus with a mission life of 15 years.

GSAT-24

Satellite capacity on-board GSAT-24 has been leased by NSIL to M/s Tata Play, a leader in Direct-To-Home (DTH) services. Thanks to this satellite, M/s Tata Play will be able to offer better and reliable services to its customers.

About Arianespace

Arianespace uses space to make life better on Earth by providing launch services for all types of satellites into all orbits. It has orbited over 1,100 satellites since 1980. Starting in 2022, Arianespace will operate the new-generation Ariane 6 and Vega C launchers, developed by ESA. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near Paris, and has a technical facility at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington, D.C., Tokyo and Singapore. Arianespace is a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, which holds 74% of its share capital, with the balance held by 15 other shareholders from the European launcher industry. https://www.arianespace.com/

Images, Video, Text, Credits: Arianespace/Airbus Defence and Space/ISRO/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

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