The Ariane 5 ECA for this Friday’s heavy-lift mission is now complete, following the installation of its upper payload passenger, the ProtoStar I satellite. ProtoStar I, which is encapsulated in the launch vehicle’s ogive-shaped protective fairing, was lowered into place over the BADR-6 spacecraft. This action completed the payload “stack” atop Ariane 5‘s cryogenic core stage. This integration activity occurred in the upper levels of the Final Assembly Building at Europe’s Spaceport, where the Ariane 5 will undergo final checkout before its July 3 rollout to the launch zone. Liftoff is scheduled for July 4th during a launch window that opens at 6:47 p.m. local time in French Guiana.
ProtoStar I is based on Space Systems/Loral‘s 1300 spacecraft bus, and is designed to provide K- and C-band relay capacity over Asia. It is the first in a fleet of relay platforms that Asian satellite services company ProtoStar plans to deploy for advanced satellite television services and powerful two-way broadband communications access. The spacecraft was designed to meet the needs of both emerging and existing direct-to-home (DTH) operators in Asia, as well as other broadband communication requirements in the region. Arabsat‘s BADR-6 satellite was built jointly by EADS Astrium and Alcatel Alenia Space, and will be operated by the Saudi Arabia-based Arabsat. This Ku/C-band relay platform will open up new video broadcasting and telecom services for the entire Middle East and North Africa region, along with a large part of sub-Saharan Africa. The satellite is designed for a lifetime of about 15 years, and is to operate from Arabsat’s 26° E geostationary orbital location.
