[SatNews] …"is one of thegreat success stories, and with Al Yah 3, we are well positioned to reach our goal of becoming a global leader in the provision of advanced satellite service."
Arianespace has been selected to orbit the Al Yah 3 telecommunications satellite, built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, for the operator Al Yah
Satellite Communications Company PrJSC (Yahsat).
Arianespace will launch the Al Yah 3 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) in the fourth quarter of 2016, using an Ariane 5 ECA rocket from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Learn more about Arianespace here.
Artistic rendition of the Al Yah 3 satellite. Image courtesy of Orbital Sciences Corporation.
With the launch of Al Yah 3, Yahsat will also complete its coverage of the African continent, where it plans to provide ‘wide-reaching, reliable and cost-effective satellite broadband and Internet connectivity’ to unserved and underserved communities and other consumers.
Homaid Al Shemmari, CEO of Aerospace and Engineering Services at Mubadala, said, “Yahsat is one of the UAE's great success stories, and with Al Yah 3, we are well positioned to reach our goal of becoming a global leader in the provision of advanced satellite service. The launch of the company's third satellite within less than a decade of operation is a clear signal of the UAE aerospace industry's intentions for the future.”
After Yahsat Y1A launched in April 2011, Al Yah 3 will be the second satellite entrusted to Arianespace by Yahsat. Al Yah 3 will be built by Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia, and will weigh about 3,500 kg at launch. Operating solely in the Ka-band, Al Yah 3 will provide broadband Internet services at affordable prices to nearly 600 million users in Brazil and Africa. It offers a design life of 15 years.
Additionally, Indonesian operator PT Telkom has also selected Arianespace to launch its Telkom-3S satellite, as part of a turnkey contract with Thales Alenia Space.
Weighing about 3,500kg at launch, Telkom-3S will be boosted into geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 ECA rocket. The launch is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2016 from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Telkom-3S will expand the operator's C-band capacity from its orbital position at 118 degrees East, while also offering high-definition television (HDTV) and remote Ku-band GSM/Internet services.
Artistic rendition of the Telkom 3S satellite.
Image courtesy of Thales Alenia Space.
Built on Thales Alenia Space's new-generation Spacebus 4000B2 platform, Telkom-3S will be fitted with 24 C-band transponders, 8 extended C-band transponders and 10 Ku-band transponders. The C-band payload will cover Indonesia and southeast Asia, while the extended C-band payload encompasses both Indonesia and Malaysia, and the Ku-band payload will focus exclusively on Indonesia.
Commenting on this selection, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël said, "I would especially like to thank the Indonesian operator PT Telkom for entrusting us with the launch of their Telkom-3S satellite. Arianespace is very proud of once again being chosen by an Indonesian operator. This sixth contract with an Indonesian customer reflects the exceptional partnership between this leading country and Arianespace in the space industry."
For additional details regarding Arianespace, please visit https://www.arianespace.com/
Al Yah Satellite Communications Company's infosite: https://www.yahsat.ae/
PT Telkom's infosite: https://www.telkom.co.id/
