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Arianespace Set For July 28 Launch of Three Satellites

Moving through a transfer corridor within the Spaceport’s S5 payload processing facility, the BSAT-4b broadcasting satellite is moved from the building’s S5C large preparation hall to the S5A fueling and integration hall. Photo is courtesy of Arianespace

Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 launch from the Guiana Space Center (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana, is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, in a launch window from 21:29 UTC to 22:15 UTC.

Satellites to be placed in orbit will serve Japanese B-SAT and operators Intelsat and Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics LLC. BSAT-4b was built by Maxar Technologies and will be used to broadcast Ultra-High-Definition (UHD, 4K and 8K) Direct-To-Home (DTH) television broadcasting across Japan, in conjunction with its twin, BSAT-4a, also built by Maxar and launched by Arianespace in 2017.

The other two satellites on this mission were built by Northrop Grumman: the Galaxy 30 UHD video distribution/broadcast and broadband satellite, built for the global network operator, Intelsat, will cover North America, and MEV-2 (Mission Extension Vehicle), a highly innovative satellite servicing vehicle designed to dock to satellites in orbit to provide life extension services. The first customer for MEV-2 will be the Intelsat 10-02 satellite, in geostationary orbit since 2004. MEV-2 will provide five years of service to this satellite.

Artistic rendition of Northrop Grumman’s MEV spacecraft is courtesy of the company.

This mission will use the Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher, developed and manufactured by ArianeGroup, which has increased its payload capacity by 85 kg for this flight, thanks to the introduction of a new vehicle equipment bay (VEB), bringing total payload capacity into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) to 10,200 kg. Since kicking off a continuous improvement program for Ariane 5 in 2016, ArianeGroup has increased this launcher’s payload capacity by 300 kg for the benefit of Arianespace. Their customers will continue to benefit from this enhanced performance on Ariane 5 for the rest of its missions.

The Ariane 5 launcher is a joint European government-industry program. Arianespace is responsible for marketing and operating Ariane 5 launches from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, with support from the French space agency CNES and the European Space Agency (ESA). ArianeGroup is in charge of all design and production, from initial design studies, upgrades and manufacturing, to the supply of data and software for each mission. Its specific responsibilities include the production of equipment, structures and propulsion systems, integration of the different stages, and integration of the complete launcher in French Guiana.