28 June 2017: Ariane5 ECA/HellasSat-3 & GSAT-17
Launch Vehicle: Ariane5 ECA, manufactured by Arianespace
Payloads: Hellas Sat 3-Inmarsat S EAN (commercial satellite), GSAT-17 (communications satellite, India)
Launch date: 28 June 2017
Launch time: Between 5:59pm and 7.16pm (French Guiana time, UTC-3:00)
Location: Guiana Space Center, Kourou, French Guiana
This Arianespace launch will carry two communications satellites. The first is Hellas Sat 3-Inmarsat S EAN, dubbed a “condosat”, which will provide direct-to-home (DTH) and telecom service to Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa, as well as S-band connectivity throughout Europe. The second is the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO), GSAT-17 satellite, which is part of the GSAT constellation to provide connectivity throughout India.
1-5 July 2017: Falcon 9/Intelsat 35e
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Full Thrust, manufactured by SpaceX
Payload: Intelsat 35e (commercial satellite)
Launch window: 1-5 July 2017
Location: Kennedy Space Center
Intelsat 35e is a high-throughput geostationary communications satellite that will cover the Americas, Europe and Sub-Sahara Africa.
2-5 July 2017: ChangZheng 5/Shijian-18
Launch vehicle: Long March 5 (Changzheng 5), manufactured by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
Payload: Shijian-18
Launch window: 2-5 July 2017
Location: Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center, Hainan Island, China
This launch will be the second time the Long March 5, China’s heaviest launcher to date, will be used. It will carry Shijian-18, one of the largest satellites to be put into geostationary orbit, with high-throughput capabilities. Like many Chinese satellites, however, the activities of Shijian-18 remain shrouded in mystery, with speculation that it will be used for experimental purposes.
14 July 2017: Soyuz 2.1A/Kanopus-V-IK
Launch vehicle: Soyuz 2.1A, manufactured by Progress Rocket Space Centre
Payloads: Kanopus-V-1K
Launch date: 14 July 2017
Launch time: 9:36 am (Moscow time)
Location: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Kanopus-V-IK will be one of the payloads on the Soyuz 2.1A. It is an earth observation satellite that will be put in a sun synchronous orbit, operated by Roscosmos. Other payloads include Flying Laptop, a German minisatellite, WNISAT 1R (Weather News Inc. Satellite 1R), a Japanese microsatellite, and other small satellites.
