ProtoStar I, a high power Ku- and C-band satellite that will provide DTH service to Asia, is scheduled for launch on Friday, July 4th, from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite will be lofted into orbit via an Ariane 5-ECA rocket. The satellite will be operated by ProtoStar Ltd., a Bermuda corporation with offices in San Francisco and Singapore. Liftoff for the Ariane mission is scheduled within the following launch window on July 4th:
- GMT: 9:47 to 10:21 p.m.
- Kourou, French Guiana: 6:47 to 7:21 p.m.
- Washington, DC: 5:47 to 6:21 p.m.
- Singapore: (July 5th) 5:47 to 6:21 a.m.
ProtoStar I, manufactured by Space Systems/Loral, will enter commercial service at 98.5° E, following completion of routine in-orbit tests (IOT). The same launch will also carry into orbit the Arabsat BADR-6 satellite, manufactured by EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space, with a final orbital slot of 26° E. You can watch the launch live at https://www.arianespace.com/ up to 20 minutes prior to the opening of the launch window. The footprint of ProtoStar I has been customized to meet the immediate and long term needs of the company’s anchor DTH customers from an orbital slot that will provide coverage to South Asia, Southeast Asia and Indochina, an area with a population of over 2 billion.
