SatNews

Satellite Industry Intelligence Since 1983

Arianespace is All Action… Stacking and Adapting, Prepping for a Double Launch (Launch)

[SatNews] This is in response to demand the for the fastest-growing applications in the Middle East and North Africa, including video broadcasting, enterprise communications and government services…

Payload processing for Arianespace’s next dual-passenger Ariane 5 flight is moving forward as the EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 satellite is readied for its upcoming liftoff from the Spaceport in French Guiana later this month.


EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 is shown during its fit-check process, which occurred inside the Spaceport’s S1B clean room facility.

Click on the graphic on the right to follow Arianespace’s launch activity. This relay platform, built by Space Systems/Loral (SSL) based on the company’s 1300 satellite bus, made initial contact with Ariane 5 launcher hardware during activity inside the Spaceport’s S1B clean room facility. The step involved EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1’s fit-check with its cone-shaped payload adapter, which serves as the spacecraft’s interface with Ariane 5.

After deployment by Ariane 5, EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 will assist European telecommunications operator Eutelsat and Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, in responding to demand for the fastest-growing applications in the Middle East and North Africa, including video broadcasting, enterprise communications and government services. In addition, it will initiate a Ka-band capability that opens business opportunities for both parties.

EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 is equipped with four steerable spot beam antennas and four deployable reflectors, along with advanced command and telemetry capabilities, and it will provide a follow-on to the EUTELSAT 25C satellite, which currently is operated at 25.5 degrees East.

With a liftoff mass of more than 6,000 kg., EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 will ride in the upper position of Ariane 5’s payload “stack,” with the Indian GSAT-7 communications satellite, which also has been undergoing checkout activities at the Spaceport, located below it. GSAT-7 was developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation and carries relay payloads in UHF, S-band, C-band and Ku-band.

This upcoming launch, targeted for August 29, is designated Flight VA215 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system, signifying the 215th mission with the Ariane series of launch vehicles.