Ariane launches two satellites
Posted: Sat, Dec 22, 2007, 7:56 AM ET (1256 GMT)
An Ariane 5 launched two communications satellites Friday evening in its sixth and final mission of the year. The Ariane 5 GS lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana at 4:42 pm EST (2142 GMT) and inserted the RASCOM-QAF1 and Horizons-2 spacecraft into geosynchronous transfer orbit approximately a half-hour later. RASCOM-QAF1, built by Thales Alenia Space for African operator RASCOMSTAR-QAF, will provide communication services across Africa from 2.85 degrees east in GEO. The spacecraft, a Spacebus 4000B3, weighed 3,200 kilograms at liftoff and carries 12 Ku-band and 8 C-band transponders. Horizons-2, built by Orbital Sciences Corporation for Intelsat and JSAT, will provide video and data services for parts of NOrth America and the Caribbean. The 2,300-kilogram spacecraft carries 20 Ku-band transponders. The launch was the sixth Ariane 5 launch of 2007, the most Ariane 5 launches performed by Arianespace in a single year.
An Ariane 5 launched two communications satellites Friday evening in its sixth and final mission of the year. The Ariane 5 GS lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana at 4:42 pm EST (2142 GMT) and inserted the RASCOM-QAF1 and Horizons-2 spacecraft into geosynchronous transfer orbit approximately a half-hour later. RASCOM-QAF1, built by Thales Alenia Space for African operator RASCOMSTAR-QAF, will provide communication services across Africa from 2.85 degrees east in GEO. The spacecraft, a Spacebus 4000B3, weighed 3,200 kilograms at liftoff and carries 12 Ku-band and 8 C-band transponders. Horizons-2, built by Orbital Sciences Corporation for Intelsat and JSAT, will provide video and data services for parts of NOrth America and the Caribbean. The 2,300-kilogram spacecraft carries 20 Ku-band transponders. The launch was the sixth Ariane 5 launch of 2007, the most Ariane 5 launches performed by Arianespace in a single year.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Apex becomes billion-dollar company with $200 million Series D round
Posted: Sun, Sep 14 4:09 AM ET (0809 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, September 15
Elon Musk's Starlink reports service outage, thousands of users affected
Reuters — 1:23 am ET (0523 GMT) What does the loss of U.S. Space Command mean to Colorado Springs?
Denver Post — 1:21 am ET (0521 GMT) SpaceX Launches Northrop Grumman Cargo Ship To ISS
Aviation Week — 1:18 am ET (0518 GMT) SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Sunday
WESH-TV Orlando — 1:18 am ET (0518 GMT) Apollo 13 made Jim Lovell a legend generations after the space race
The Hill — 1:09 am ET (0509 GMT) |
