...pre-flight checkout, joining its GSAT-10 co-passenger at the Spaceport launch site in French Guiana. Built by the Astrium division of EADS for Luxembourg-based SES, ASTRA 2F was removed from its shipping container in the Spaceport’s S1B clean room, where the relay platform arrived after being delivered to French Guiana yesterday by a chartered cargo jetliner.
ASTRA 2F is a six metric ton-class platform that carries Ku- and Ka-band payloads for the relay of high performance DTH and next-generation broadband services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It will be lofted by Arianespace’s Ariane 5 mission on September 21 along with GSAT-10, which continues its own preparation activity at the Spaceport. GSAT-10 was produced by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) using the I-3K satellite bus, and has an estimated liftoff mass of 3,400kg. This upcoming mission will be the 65th flight of an Ariane 5 from French Guiana, and the fifth so far in 2012 for the workhorse Arianespace heavy-lift launcher.
Additionally, Ariane 5 components for Arianespace's sixth heavy-lift mission of 2012 were received by the Spaceport. The MN Toucan is one of two roll-on/roll-off vessels used to transport Arianespace launch vehicles and other mission hardware to the South American launch site. Arriving in French Guiana yesterday were elements for the Ariane 5 to be used later this year on Flight VA210—the 210th mission for Europe’s Ariane launcher series to be operated from the Spaceport.