Arianespace completes triple mission with Ariane 5 rocket

Arianespace successfully orbited two telecommunications satellites and one satellite servicing vehicle for Intelsat, B-SAT and Northrop Grumman using an Ariane 5 rocket launched from the Guiana Space Center.

The Galaxy 30 UHD video distribution/broadcast and broadband satellite, built for global network operator Intelsat, will cover North America. It is the first satellite in Intelsat’s Galaxy fleet refresh plan and will replace Galaxy 14 at 125 degrees west once it is in service in early 2021.

Intelsat also said Galaxy 30 will play an important role in its U.S. C-band spectrum transition plan, which is accelerating America’s path to 5G. Intelsat is facilitating the work of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in transitioning and safeguarding media services currently utilizing the lower portion of the band to make way for 5G wireless services. Intelsat is not seeking any reimbursement costs from the FCC’s public auction proceeds for any aspect of the Galaxy 30 launch or relocation.

BSAT-4b will be used for Ultra-High-Definition (UHD, 4K and 8K) direct-to-home television broadcasting across Japan, in conjunction with its twin, BSAT-4a, launched by Arianespace in 2017.

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Eutelsat Prepares for Launch of Latin American Satellite

Space Systems Loral (SSL) delivered the EUTELSAT 65 West A satellite to the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, where it will be launched aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle by Arianespace. The advanced high throughput satellite will be used by Eutelsat to provide new broadcast and broadband services in Brazil and across Latin America.

EUTELSAT 65 West A has 10 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders, for video and data services and 24 Ka-band spot beams for broadband connectivity in key regions. The satellite is designed to provide approximately 16-kW of power at end of life. It is based on the SSL 1300 platform.

"EUTELSAT 65 West A is an exceptional and complex satellite with advanced capabilities that will bring information, entertainment and new opportunities to Latin America and to Brazil in an Olympic year," said John Celli, president of SSL. "It is our pleasure to collaborate closely with the Eutelsat team, which shares our focus on innovation and performance."

http://www.eutelsat.com
http://www.sslmda.com

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EchoStar XVII Satellite Successfully Launched

 EchoStar XVII, which is one of the highest capacity satellites ever built, was successfully launched aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

EchoStar XVII is an all Ka-band, broadband satellite designed to provide well in excess of 100 Gbps capacity to HughesNet across North America. Its multi-spot beam architecture will expand coverage and focus capacity on the areas with the highest traffic demand. It uses the Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform and is designed to provide service for 15 years or longer.

Extensive tests will be completed after the spacecraft is maneuvered into a circular orbit 22,300 miles above the equator at 107.1 degrees West longitude. Hughes expects to begin commercial operations this Fall.

"The addition of EchoStar XVII to our existing satellite capacity, ground network, and services takes satellite Internet to the next dimension," said Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes. "Our HughesNet Gen4 customers will be able to enjoy a media-rich world like never before. We congratulate the Arianespace and Space Systems/Loral teams on a flawless launch."
http://www.hughes.com
06-Jul-12

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