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Tag: French Guiana

  • Arianespace to launch Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 telecom satellites in 2017

    Arianespace to launch Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 telecom satellites in 2017

    MUMBAI: Azercosmos and Intelsat have chosen Arianespace to launch the Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 telecommunication satellite. The satellite will be launched by an Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center, located in Kourou, French Guiana.

     

    Expected to launch in 2017, Azerspace-2 will be Azercosmos’ second telecommunications satellite, and will expand on the current capacity of Azerspace-1. It will support growing demand for Direct-to-Home (DTH), government, and network services in Europe, Central and South Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.

     

    “Arianespace is honored to continue its longstanding partnership with Intelsat and be selected again by Azercosmos for the launch of its second satellite, following the success of Azerspace/Africasat-1A on 7 February, 2013. This contract will give us the opportunity to implement a tailor made launch solution that complies with both Azercosmos and Intelsat requirements, hence demonstrating our capability to address the needs of both regional and global satellite operators worldwide,” said Arianespace chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël.

     

    For Intelsat, the satellite will provide continuity of service for the Intelsat 12 satellite currently stationed at 45 degrees East, an orbital location which hosts DTH platforms for Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Asia-Pacific region. Intelsat 38 will also provide connectivity for corporate networks and government applications in Africa.

     

    “This new satellite will provide Azercosmos with additional capacity for the increasing demand in the region, and will allow us to continue to bring the best service to our customers. We are pleased to collaborate with two world leaders in the satellite industry,” said Azercosmos chairman and CEO Rashad Nabiyev.

     
    Intelsat EVP and chief technology officer Thierry Guillemin added, “In today’s competitive environment, fast and reliable access to space is an absolute imperative. Arianespace has a long and proven track record of executing against its launch manifest and we look forward to partnering with them once again to ensure the reliable delivery of the Azercosmos 2/Intelsat 38 satellite into orbit in 2017.”

     

    Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 will be designed and built by Space Systems/Loral. The satellite design is based on the highly reliable 1300 satellite platform that provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications and technology advances.

  • Arianespace launches GSAT-15 successfully

    Arianespace launches GSAT-15 successfully

    MUMBAI: At 3:04 this morning, Arianespace’s A5 rocket blasted off from its launch pad in Kouru, French Guiana with its payload of two satellites Arabsat 6B (BADR7) and GSAT-15. The former found its slot in space 27 minutes later, while the latter attained its Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) 43 minutes after launch.  It was a flawless launch on a perfect evening, said officials from ISRO and Arianespace.

     

    India’s satellite control centre at Hasan in Karnataka is in control of the satellite  at the time of writing and maneuvres over the next three days will see it attaining its geo-stationary orbit at 93.5 degrees East. It will be replacing two ageing satellites Insat3A and Insat 4B.

     

    GSAT-15 has 24 Ku-band transponders to serve the needs of DTH and satellite TV operators over India as well as  VSAT operators who provide DSNG operations to news channels. It  also carries the  GPS-Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands,  to enable communications for civil aviation and other location-based services.

     

    Speaking from Kouru ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) Director M Annadurai said two other  communication satellites GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 are getting ready for launch by an Ariane vehicle in the next year. “The realisation of both the satellites is in a very advanced stage,” he said.

     

  • Insat-4B to launch on 10 March

    Insat-4B to launch on 10 March

    MUMBAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)-built INSAT-4B, which is mainly meant for direct-to-home (dth) television services, is slated for launch from the European spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana on 10 March.

    The Rs 3 billion telecom satellite, which is identical to INSAT-4A, carries 12 Ku-band and 12 C-band transponders. European space consortium Arianespace will carry out the launch. It will cost around $ 50 million, according to a press release.

    As had been reported last month by Indiantelevision.com one likely customer for the KU band transponders is Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Group, which had booked space last year on the failed Insat-4C for its DTH venture Sun Direct.

    Sun TV had booked six transponders for DTH and one for DSNG (digital satellite news gathering) on Insat-4C.

  • Insat-4B launch set for early March

    Insat-4B launch set for early March

     MUMBAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro) Insat-4B satellite is scheduled to be launched from Kourou in French Guiana in the first week of March.

    This was confirmed by Isro chief G Madhavan Nair on Monday. Speaking in Thiruvananthapuram in the southern state of Kerala, Nair was quoted in media reports as saying: “Final tests are being conducted on the satellite and it will be moved to French Guiana by the end of this month.”

    The Insat-4B, the second satellite in the Insat-4 series, will be carrying 12 KU band and as many C band transponders for communication and broadcasting services.

    One likely customer for the KU band transponders is Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Group, which had booked space last year on the failed Insat-4C for its DTH venture Sun Direct.

    Sun TV had booked six transponders for DTH and one for DSNG (digital satellite news gathering) on the Insat-4C.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision last August after the failure of the Insat-4C launch mission, Isro contract management and legal services director SB Iyer had said: “We have the flexibility to accommodate Sun. If there is an early requirement, we can give them space on an Indian or foreign satellite.”

    Current indications are that Insat-4B, which was originally meant for Doordarshan’s DTH service DD Direct Plus will likely be used to accommodate Sun as well.

    When asked about it today, Iyer was noncommital though, stating, “We are still deciding we will be accommodating one or two DTH providers.”