Ariane 5 orbits two communications satellites on its 100th mission

Image courtesy of Arianespace.

On September 25, at 19:38 French Guiana time (GMT-3), Arianespace launched two communications satellites: Horizons 3e for Intelsat and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, and Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 for Azercosmos and Intelsat. This marked the 100th mission of Arianespace’s heavy launcher, Ariane 5.

The upper passenger of the launch, Horizons 3e, is owned by a joint venture between Intelsat and SKY Perfect JSAT and will replace Intelsat 805. Manufactured by Boeing, the 6,441 kg High Throughput Satellite (HTS) will serve the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the Pacific Ocean, and will be stationed at 169° East. Horizons 3e will provide 30 gigabits per second of bandwidth for fixed and mobile customers, and features full beam interconnectivity in the C- and Ku-bands.

The flight’s lower passenger, Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 manufactured by SSL, is a multi-mission satellite that will be positioned at 45° East.

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Azerspace-2 is Azerbaijan’s second telecommunications satellite, operated by Azercosmos, and will service Europe, Central and South Asia, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Intelsat 38, meanwhile, will provide Ku-band capabilities for Central and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. Altogether, Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 has 35 active transponders in Ku-band.

Shortly after the announcement of the orbital injection of the two satellites, Stéphane Israël, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, said: “With this sixth launch of the year, Arianespace is proud to have placed its 100th Ariane 5 mission at the service of our American, Japanese and Azeri customers.”

“It clearly symbolizes the long string of successes achieved by our heavy launcher on the commercial export market, representing more than half of all satellites it has orbited,” he added.

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