spacetoday.net: Ariane 5 launches two geostationary satellites

Ariane 5 launches two geostationary satellites

Posted: Sat, Feb 22, 2020, 8:19 AM ET (1319 GMT)
Ariane 5 launch of JCSAT-17, Feb 2020 (Arianespace)

An Ariane 5 launched two geostationary orbit satellites for Japan and South Korea Tuesday. The rocket lifted off at 5:18 pm EST (2218 GMT) from Kourou, French Guiana, and deployed the JCSAT-17 and GEO-KOMPSAT-2B satellites into geostationary transfer orbits about a half-hour later. JCSAT-17, built by Lockheed Martin for Japanese operator Sky Perfect JSAT, carries C- and Ku-band transponders and an 18-meter S-band reflector from L3Harris Technologies. GEO-KOMPSAT-2B, a weather satellite developed by the South Korean space agency KARI, carries an ocean imaging payload from Airbus Defence and Space and an environmental spectrometer from Ball Aerospace.