The second of two satellites for Ariane 5’s next flight has arrived at Europe’s Spaceport. And Arianespace continues its sustained mission pace for 2008. After being transported to French Guiana earlier this week aboard a cargo jetliner, the AMC-21 satellite was moved to the Spaceport’s S5 spacecraft preparation facility. AMC-21 joins Superbird 7, which is also undergoing final checkout for the planned Ariane 5 ECA liftoff during early August. This will be the fifth Ariane 5 mission of 2008. This launch will follow the previous launches in March, April, June, and July, which orbited a total of six telecommunications satellites as well as the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for servicing of the International Space Station (ISS). AMC-21 will be operated by U.S.-based satellite services provider SES AMERICOM and is to handle TV and enterprise distribution services. The prime contractor is Thales Alenia Space. AMC-21 uses a STAR-2 bus, manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Arianespace is targeting a total of seven Ariane 5 missions in 2008. This will make it the busiest year for this workhorse launcher since its commercial introduction in 1999. Please visit SES AMERICOM’s website for more info…
AMC-21 Prepped For Lift-Off
The second of two satellites for Ariane 5’s next flight has arrived at Europe’s Spaceport. And Arianespace continues its sustained mission pace for 2008. After being transported to French Guiana earlier this week aboard a cargo jetliner, the AMC-21 satellite was moved to the Spaceport’s S5 spacecraft preparation facility. AMC-21 joins Superbird 7, which is also undergoing final checkout for the planned Ariane 5 ECA liftoff during early August. This will be the fifth Ariane 5 mission of 2008. This launch will follow the previous launches in March, April, June, and July, which orbited a total of six telecommunications satellites as well as the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for servicing of the International Space Station (ISS). AMC-21 will be operated by U.S.-based satellite services provider SES AMERICOM and is to handle TV and enterprise distribution services. The prime contractor is Thales Alenia Space. AMC-21 uses a STAR-2 bus, manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Arianespace is targeting a total of seven Ariane 5 missions in 2008. This will make it the busiest year for this workhorse launcher since its commercial introduction in 1999. Please visit SES AMERICOM’s website for more info…
